<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>mortals and divine intervention by uglygods</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24407251">mortals and divine intervention</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/uglygods/pseuds/uglygods'>uglygods</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Apollo's Oracle, Asthma, Book 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson), Book 5: The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson), F/M, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Nico di Angelo Needs a Hug, OC Knows the Future, Original Character-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Self-Insert, reincarnated OC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:01:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>25,834</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24407251</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/uglygods/pseuds/uglygods</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Life was normal, considering the reincarnation. It all came to a screeching halt when her father started dating a woman named Sally Jackson, and she realized that, in her past life, she had read a series dedicated to her son's life. Yeah, so much for normal. (SI/OC)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo &amp; Original Female Character(s), Paul Blofis/Sally Jackson, Percy Jackson &amp; Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>430</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. prologue | a hallmark worthy start</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Prologue: A Hallmark Worthy Start</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>1993</em>
</p><p>Nadia Campbell wasn't smart. She barely managed to scrape her way through highschools, and college was way too advanced for her. She wasn't a good actress, a good singer, or hell, even pretty enough to stand in front of cameras and got her makeup done for a living.</p><p>That's the easy way of saying she works as a barista at some small coffee lounge call Tiffany's in some small town near Pittsburgh. The same small town she grew up in, which means that eighty-six percent of the time, she'll fall victim to someone she knew's stare of I knew you were destined to do this.</p><p>So, one hot, Thursday morning, Nadia welcomed the distraction of a rather attractive man her age entering Tiffany's. He looked like an actor, or a model, and wore a casual t-shirt and jeans.</p><p>When she took his order and asked for his name, Paul seemed like a name brought down from heaven itself. (Even though, when she looked back on it, Paul was a typical white-man name only destined to be an English teacher. So it fit.)</p><p>She gave him her number on a napkin that came with his ice-coffee, and the next day, when he called her during work, her co-worker Lizzie laughed and said, "He sounds like every other white man."</p><p>What Nadia wasn't expecting, however, was for a baby to be born two years later.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. chapter one | eleanor learns something</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter One: Eleanor Learns Something</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>2008</em>
</p><p>Eleanor Blofis swung her legs underneath the dining room table, pre-algebra homework laid out as she attempted to wrap together all her brainpower to solve it. Even when she was a college student, she was terrible at it.</p><p>She heard the sound of the door clicking open and shutting with the same noise, and the shuffling noises of her father's dress shoes against the wooden floor as he entered. As always, he pulled his leather jacket off and hung it on the hook, dropped his keys on the small glass dish by the door, and pulled his shoes off.</p><p>"Ella?"</p><p>"Doing homework!" She shouted back, discarding her pencil with little hesitation. Any excuse to get out of math work she'd take. Her dad was an English teacher, for crying out loud! Though she never got to graduate before her death, she was an English major!</p><p>It was probably dramatic irony or something that she was reborn the daughter of one, too.</p><p>Eleanor was an average height for her age, 4'11, but it was no match for the 5'11 of her father. So, as he entered the room and the two hugged, her face went smush right into his chest.</p><p>"Did you call your mom today? Are you still going for Easter?" Her dad asked when they pulled away.</p><p>She nodded, brushing a loose curl from her bun away from her face. Sure, she loved her mom, but it was obvious, even after almost thirteen years, the woman still had yet to get used to parenthood. At least she taught her how to care for her hair. "She said that Grandma Rose and my cousins and stuff will be there too."</p><p>Paul nodded, giving her one of his actor-worthy grins. "Okay, good. It's been a while since you've been there."</p><p>"Yeah. Can you help me with math?"</p><p>At his nod of confirmation, Eleanor tugged his arm and brought him into the dining room. Her dad sat down, but before he looked over the problems, he turned to her. "You know how I've been seeing a woman, right?"</p><p>She nodded, sitting down in another dining room chair, and pulled her legs up with her so her head was leaning on her knees. "Yeah. Sally, right?"</p><p>"Yes! Yeah, Sally. Well, Sally has a son too. Around your age, he's fourteen. And, well, we wanted to have a nice dinner and let you two meet, and for me to meet him and for her to meet you. That's okay with you, right?"</p><p>The adult part of her mind, the one who had lived twenty-three years before her death, the one who understood that love didn't last and parents didn't stay together, understood that it was normal for Paul to move on.</p><p>The child part, the one who was twelve (thirteen in two months), still longed for a world where her mom would return one day. A world where her parents would get married and she wouldn't have to go house-to-house and worry about what boyfriend her mom picked up this time.</p><p>The adult part one.</p><p>Plus, Paul was the only parent she's had, in both lives, who would do anything for her. He moved to Manhattan after she was born for a teaching job that paid him more to afford her, he'd canceled dates before in the past because she didn't feel good, he listened to her when she told him she was upset or uncomfortable or when she had nightmares. So, she figured she owed him this.</p><p>"Mhm!" Eleanor gave her father her normal, bright smile. She curled a piece of hair around her pointer finger, which was one of her normal fidgets. "What's her son's name? What's their last name? Do they have a dog? Can we get a dog?"</p><p>"No, Ella, they don't have a dog." Her dad had his normal smile, the same one he also had when she vomited up questions. "I told you, we can get a dog when I believe you're responsible enough to care for it. You forgot to feed your goldfish."</p><p>"Wha- that's not fair! That was like… years ago!"</p><p>"Ells," he gave a good-natured laugh, "that was two months ago."</p><p>She slumped in her chair, defeated. "Okay, I get it. No dog. What about the other questions."</p><p>Paul was still smiling, he smiled a lot. A very happy person, her dad. "Her son's name is Percy, and their last name is Jackson."</p><p>The smile practically slid off Eleanor's face. For a moment, she just stared at him, mouth opening and closing like her poor goldfish, Stanely. Her mouth felt like she chewed on a glue stick, and it tasted the same.</p><p>"Huh?" Was all she could manage out. Her chest hurt, like someone was sitting on it, and she found herself short of breath. Her vision tunneled. Her chest heaved. Something isn't right, her mind screamed at her.</p><p>The name Percy Jackson flashed through her mind, flying around her brain like someone threw a tennis ball against a wall and let it go wild. Her head begun to ache, like someone took a pickaxe to the crown of her head.</p><p>The book series, her mind cried. The boy from the book series!</p><p>Eleanor pressed the palm of her hand against her heart, feeling the fast pasted beating. She couldn't breathe, it felt like someone had shoved wet cotton through her lungs and down her throat and in her head and-</p><p>Something cold and plastic was pressed against her lips, it clunked against her teeth and felt odd against her tongue. She breathed in, and some kind of mist followed with it. She breathed again, the mist followed. This pattern continued, over and over, until her vision became normal. Her lungs no longer felt the burn, and she was breathing like she normally did.</p><p>The side of her head was pressed against someone's chest, but the smell of his normal cologne told her it was Paul. He was holding the plastic thing in his hands, which she now made out as her inhaler. An asthma attack?</p><p>Eleanor hadn't had asthma since she was young, at least not anything bad. Her dad still kept one of her three inhalers (bought all at different times, those things were expensive) in his work bag, just in case.</p><p>But it wasn't an asthma attack. Normally she knew she was having one when it happened, this was something different.</p><p>It was then when she noticed that he was talking to her, asking her questions.</p><p>"Are you alright?" Worry laced his voice, "Ella? Are you okay?"</p><p>"Mhm," her head still ached. She didn't care, because now she felt worried. Also amazed, but worry was the main one.</p><p>Percy Jackson was a book character from her childhood. That was it. He was just a piece of fiction written by an author.</p><p>At least, that's what she thought.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. chapter two | percy can't speak spanish</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Two: Percy Can't Speak Spanish</strong>
</p>
<p>Turns out, the dinner Paul mentioned was soon. Like, two days later soon. Barely enough time for Eleanor to collect her very confused thoughts and try to remember everything she could. And that's when she found out something worrying.</p>
<p>The most she could remember wouldn't really help. She knew the character's names, their parents, their backgrounds, anything the books give. She knew that Percy and Annabeth were destined to be together, that Sally and Paul would marry and she would have a little sister (Essie? Stella? Something like that)and Percy would, someday lose his memory.</p>
<p>She knew everything (that she could remember) from the first three books. Percy was sassy, the Underworld, holding up the sky, Luke attempting to kill Percy and co. several times. Bianca's death.</p>
<p>This was the odd part between books three and four, and she couldn't even scrape together what happened next. She tried, she really tried. She spent hours on her bedroom floor, meditating - something she never did before - just begging every God to let her remember.</p>
<p>Even the ones who weren't Greek. She faintly recalled something called Magnus Chase that was just Percy Jackson with more dead teenagers and the Norse Gods.</p>
<p>Maybe she should burn some food or something.</p>
<p>However, today was the day of the dinner. Her first time meeting Percy Jackson, his mother, and the first time having contact with the Greek world.</p>
<p>Well, not that big of a contact. She hoped that some mythological creature wouldn't break the window into Texas Roadhouse and crash the family's dinner. That would suck, and her dad would probably rethink his relationship with Sally.</p>
<p>What if the books lied? What if they don't work out because I'm here? What if I mess everything up?</p>
<p>Eleanor sighed, looking at herself in the mirror as her mind whirled with all the possibilities. She straightened out her outfit, something not very fancy but not too casual. It's also 2008, so her fashionista heart from 2019 was crying out in the fact that her favorite outfits weren't trendy yet. She'd just have to wait.</p>
<p>A stripped turtle neck sweater with a simple pair of jeans had to work. She rolled up the ends of the sweater, and tied her hair up in a bun. Every once in a while, she'd forget that she and her cousin Frankie had attempted to give themselves bangs, and the front of her hair was shorter. Then she'd pulled her hair up and get smacked in the eyes with chunks of curls.</p>
<p>Her shoes came next, simple black converse she was beyond thankful still existed. She would have cried if she didn't have her trusty converse. Plus, it was fun to doodle all over them. Currently, these pairs were detected out in purple sharpie stars and smiling suns.</p>
<p>Exiting her room, she gave a quick scratch behind her cat's ears who laid on her bed. Stanley was mainly black with white around his nose, paws, and the end of his tail. He was a good cat, a master at catching the apartment's mice and was excellent at snuggling up during bedtime. He was getting old, almost ten years he's lived in with the family like a king.</p>
<p>Stanley meowed at her, sticking out a white paw to get extra loving across. Eleanor rolled her eyes, tapped him on his nose, and made her way out of the room.</p>
<p>Paul was nearly ready, his jacket was on and his normal shoes were slipped on. He dressed like a male model on the cover of a Kohl's article, but he made it work. He picked up his keys from the glass dish and twirled them around his pointer finger, "You ready, Ellis?"</p>
<p>Her nose scrunched up, "Ellis? I'm starting to think you're throwing any E name and hoping it sticks, dad. At least Ella makes sense."</p>
<p>He laughed, using the keys to unlock the front door and opened it. At the sound of the door opening, Stanely came running. Normally, he just wanted some extra loving before his people left.</p>
<p>Eleanor laughed at him. He'd always been a heavier cat, but recently the lack of moment caused by old age had caused him to gain a lot of pounds. His stomach nearly touched the floor, and his head looked too small for his body. When she first noticed this, she got worried, but her dad assured her that it wasn't her fault he got old and no longer enjoyed zipping around.</p>
<p>Paul reached down and scratched his head, not complaining that Stanley brushed up against him, probably covering his jeans in a thick layer of black cat hair. As he gave the cat the lovings he demanded, he raised a brow at Eleanor.</p>
<p>"You're wearing a sweater? It's warm outside, sure you won't get hot?"</p>
<p>"It's a chance I'm willing to take." She pocketed her inhaler from the dining room table, still on edge from the apparent attack two days ago. It made no sense, really, considering the fact that she was supposed to only get asthma when doing something like running a marathon, not finding out your future stepbrother was destined to save the world twice.</p>
<p>Man, she really hoped his whole<em> world-saving stuff</em> didn't make her run. She may kneel over and die if that ever happened.</p>
<hr/>
<p>By far, Eleanor's favorite restaurant in existence had to be Texas Roadhouse. Their buns? Unbeatable. That part of the night where everyone starts dancing and clapping for no reason? Unbelievable. The fact it's always packed? Understandable.</p>
<p>She cracked a peanut, letting the four peanuts within drop onto her plate as she dropped the shell on the floor. Paul gave her his typical don't do that look he gave her every time she did it, but she just smiled sweetly at him and did it again.u</p>
<p>She'd hate to be her own parent.</p>
<p>In her past life, she worked at Texas Roadhouse for two years. At that place, they made it a rule not to throw peanut shells onto the ground, because it sucked to clean up.</p>
<p>Eleanor frowned. That thought made her reconsider.</p>
<p>"Sorry we're late," a nice-sounding voice interrupted her train of thought. Paul visibly brightened up, which caused Eleanor to do the same. She looked over her shoulder, seeing a pretty woman her dad's age and a Greek God looking boy her own age. Her eyes widen, Sally and Percy Jackson in the flesh!</p>
<p>Paul stood up from his seat, tapping Eleanor on the shoulder so she knew to do the same. Brushing off the front of her jeans to knock any leftover peanut shells to the ground, she stood beside her father.</p>
<p>One thing the noted, Percy looked awkward. He kept looking around like he expected something to jump out and chomp down on him, and maybe he did. His hair looked somewhat done, more like Sally tried really hard but it didn't stay tamed. He was wearing a collard shirt and clean jeans, which Eleanor was sure he didn't feel right in. Plus, if she remembered correctly, his ADHD was really bad.</p>
<p>Eleanor was brought back when Paul shook Percy's hand, causing her cheek to heat up. She was starring at him! Oh God, what if he thinks I'm weird?</p>
<p>"Percy, right?" Paul asked, as he shook Percy's hand for a moment too long. It was kinda obvious that he was more nervous than Eleanor, both of them were. She and Sally shared a smile.</p>
<p>Percy nodded, and as soon as their handshake ended, his hand went into his pocket. "And you're Paul Blowfish."</p>
<p>"Blofis." Sally reminded.</p>
<p>Her dad laughed in response, mentioning to the table. Eleanor sat first, scooched over so her side pressed against the half-wall, and watched with wide eyes as Percy sat down beside her. She assumed Paul was going to.</p>
<p>"Hi," she said, her voice taking on the impression of a terrified woodland creature, "I'm Eleanor - or Ella, if you want. Dad called me Ellis today! My mom calls me Effie, I don't know where she got that from, haha -"</p>
<p>Percy gave her a weird look. She slapped her hand against her mouth and slid down in her seat, cheeks burning. Maybe if she died a third time she could come back as someone with better social skills.</p>
<p>"I'm Percy," he didn't sound like he was regretting having to meet her, if anything, his voice had a twinge of humor. Her chest burned with embarrassment. "Just Percy. You're Paul's daughter, right?"</p>
<p>"Uh… yeah."</p>
<p>Now Percy looked like the embarrassed one, which helped her own burning cheeks calm down. In her mind, she figured her rambling about her own name was a lot worse then him asking if she was Paul's daughter, but according to Percy's expression, that wasn't the case.</p>
<p>The adults both, at once, chuckled.</p>
<p>"Mom," Percy said, his tone indicating that this was the worst moment of his day, and her laughing didn't help. Sally grinned back at him, her eyes lighting up. Her smile made her looks youthful. She liked Sally's smile.</p>
<p>By the time their ordered food had come, Percy and Eleanor had gotten over their crippling embarrassment. Paul and Percy shared a few conversation-y words, and Eleanor talked about being on the swimming team. She knew that would probably be something Percy enjoyed, as the son of Poseidon.</p>
<p>She took a break this year as the request of her mother, who, after getting a new job as the manager at the Kohl's she worked out since Eleanor was four, no longer had extra hours to take her to the swim meets. Paul offered, but he really didn't have the time either, so she was hoping to, this Easther, beg her Aunt Alana to take her.</p>
<p>"Do you go to Goode?" Eleanor asked between bites of her chicken fingers and french fries. She'd normally get a steak, but the idea of eating something like around new people wrecked her nerves, so she stayed safe.</p>
<p>"Good?" Percy asked in return, "Yeah, I'm good."</p>
<p>She gave one of those quick, breathy laughs, and shook her head, curly-bangs flopping into her eyes. She didn't bother to brush them away. "No, no, Goode with an 'e'. It's the high-school dad's an English teacher for."</p>
<p>"He's an English teacher?"</p>
<p>Eleanor grinned, "Yeah! Probably why English is my best class." Or the fact she technically went through three years of college as an English major. She didn't say that, though.</p>
<p>"Oh," he shook his head, his hand disappearing into his pocket. "I don't go to that school, do you?"</p>
<p>"I'm in seventh grade, it's high-school only. I'm in the Goode Middle-School, though!" She pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees, "You should go to Goode high-school next year."</p>
<p>"I'm only an eighth-grader," His hand was obviously moving in his pocket, and it almost seemed like he didn't notice it.</p>
<p>"You'll be a fishie next year."</p>
<p>Percy choked on his diet coke, he flashed her a nervous look. "Fishie?"</p>
<p>Eleanor had to suppress her grin, knowing exactly why he freaked out. She picked up a steak french fry and dipped it in ketchup, then ate it. "The older kids call the freshmen that, I think. My cousin Maija is a junior and she says it's just something they do. But that's at her school, so I don't know. Why's your hand in your pocket?"</p>
<p>"Huh?" Percy removed his hand and looked at it as if it was framing her for murder, "I uh… play with my pen."</p>
<p>Ignoring how that was one syllable from sounding bad, she formed an 'o' shape with her mouth and nodded. "Oh, okay!" She figured it was his ADHD, or the fact that Greek creatures liked to pop up. "<em>¿Puedes hablar español?</em>"</p>
<p>Percy just stared at her.</p>
<p>"I'll take that as a no. Good to know, I can speak about you in Spanish and you won't know a thing." Old Eleanor was raised by a Spanish speaking mother, and as soon as she could ask (around age six) she was forcing Paul to sign her up for Spanish tutoring, so people wouldn't question why she could suddenly speak it. Plus, it helped her to not get rusty, as Spanish never was her first language.</p>
<p>They continued their light conversations until the bill came. By then, everything they wanted to eat was off their plates, everything else ready to be brought home in to-go boxes. Eleanor begged her dad until he allowed her to get extra bread rolls, as long as she allowed him to have some too.</p>
<p>Overall, it was a good dinner.</p>
<hr/>
<p>It was Saturday the 12th, a day before Easter, and three days after the dinner with Percy and his mom. She sat in the back of her mom's dark green Jeep, her school bag on her lap (her teachers had her swamped with Spring Break work).</p>
<p>For her twelfth birthday, her Aunt Alana bought her an iPod touch to support her love of music. At the time, she packed it full of KidzBop songs. It was a lot cheaper. But, as she got older and her music tastes started to become the older version of her, she started doing chores for her grandma in return of songs on her iPod.</p>
<p>Panic! At The Disco was a welcomed reminder of her past self, like remembering good times. Plus, the music was still good. The album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out came out in 2005, and it's been a big source of her current favorite songs. Avril Lavigne was also another big one.</p>
<p>With all the music she was listening to, she wouldn't be surprised if she was punk by the time she got to high-school. The good part about remembering a lot from her old life is she knew better than to go through her forbidden emo stage again.</p>
<p>She should start listening to Gwen Stefani and Britney Spears, just to make sure her only music taste isn't something that would cause her dad to gray early.</p>
<p>"You're thinking hard back there, Effie." Her mom was at a red light, and she looked at her through the rearview mirror.</p>
<p>Nadia Campbell looked like she hadn't aged a year. Even in the photo of her holding a red-faced Eleanor she still looked the same, and that was almost thirteen years ago. The only difference was she normally straightened her hair now.</p>
<p>There were faint traces of Nadia in Eleanor. When not straightened, they had the same hair color and type, she had her nose, and their lips had the same cupid bow. When they smiled, they both had the smallest trace of a dimple on their right cheek, and they were double-jointed in their hands.</p>
<p>That's where it ended. She looked even less like her father, much to her disappointment. All she had was his eyes, and his love for English. She also liked acting, but preferred more modern things than Shakespear. (She wasn't really that good either, mainly playing background characters in school musicals.)</p>
<p>Everyone on her mom's side of the family claimed she was near identical to her Great-Grandmother Sue Ann.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Eleanor removed her headphones, letting them dangle down her neck, "just about what music I wanna buy next. Anaya and Maija didn't do all the chores, have they?"</p>
<p>"Nah, they saved you a few. You know Grandma Rose always thinks about you, she'd beat them over the head." They were getting closer to her mom's house in Philadelphia, about two hours and twenty minutes from her dad's house.</p>
<p>She grinned, "I wanna see that, though!"</p>
<p>Nadia laughed, turning into her driveway. It looked the same it always did, but there was a somewhat beat-up red truck in the garage. She furrowed her eyebrows together, especially when her mom didn't blink an eye at it.</p>
<p>The two got out of the car, Eleanor turning off her iPod and shoving the headphones into the pocket of her sweatpants, and putting on her backpack. "Whose truck is that?"</p>
<p>Her mom smiled slightly, "Oh, I forgot. Do you remember Pete?"</p>
<p>"Kinda. Didn't he come over for a bit last Christmas?" They were making their way towards the house. There was a new welcome sign above the doorbell, which was still broken.</p>
<p>"Oh, yeah," Nadia cringed, probably remembering when he got drunk and she made him leave. It was Eleanor's first Christmas with her since she was nine, and it was supposed to be some kind of warm, family event. He brought his own alcohol, too. "Well, Effie baby, he moved in sometime last month. He's a good guy, I promise, he was just being stupid."</p>
<p>The two entered the house, which Paul had bought for Nadia when they broke up. She paid him back after she got enough money to, and it had kinda fallen apart over time. Mainly from the weather.</p>
<p>"Petey! We're home!" Stanley's counterpart, Captain America (Cappi for short), came stalking into the hallway. He was a skinny tabby cat with yellow eyes, who, unlike Stanley, is probably planning world domination. Ten-year-old Eleanor, during Christmas, found Cappi in the snow and begged her mom to let him stay.</p>
<p>Ten-year-old Eleanor was also going through a Marvel Comic phase, and the old part of her, in the past life, had a thing for Steven Rogers. She remembered the MCU movies and couldn't wait for 2012.</p>
<p>Cappi rubbed against her in hello, causing her to crouch down and pet the cat's head as he favored. Stanley liked being pet everywhere, Cappi only liked his head and butt.</p>
<p>Pete came after. He was a heavier man, with brown stubble on his father and wild, untamed hair. His eyes are a greenish color, kinda like swamp water, and he was wearing a rumpled, stained t-shirt and pajama bottoms. "Hey, Dia."</p>
<p>The two shared a kiss, causing Eleanor to groan in disgust. "Gross, get a room."</p>
<p>As soon as their kiss was broken, Pete eyed her like she was some creature who broke into his home. "Ah, the rugrat." He ruffled her hair, causing her to frown, and he laughed. "How long you staying for?"</p>
<p>"A week, I think. That's how long break is."</p>
<p>He grunted, rubbed the pad of his pointer finger against his eyelid. "You uhh, gonna help pay the bills?"</p>
<p>Eleanor's eyes widen, and her eyebrows must have gown pass her makeshift bangs, "Excuse me?-"</p>
<p>"Okay! Wow," Nadia interrupted her, shooting Pete a glare, "I'm hungry, are you hungry, Effie? We can go to Grandma Rose's, she's making dinner!"</p>
<p>Eleanor already didn't like Pete.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. chapter three | a god's easter bunny</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Three: A God's Easter Bunny</strong>
</p><p>Eleanor's blue dress was itchy, barely fell to her knees, and overall extremely uncomfortable. It was the same dress her Grandma Rose bought for her and her female cousins last year. She happened to be the only one to get taller, too, so it was only her who was had a dress problem.</p><p>"Oh, Effie!" Frankie fell backward onto her bed. Her own dress was a soft pinky color, with roses sewn into the top with white thread. "How shall I go on? Embarrassed! Gotten the upper hand by my little cousin!"</p><p>Eleanor rolled her eyes, sitting on the bed beside her, "I didn't do it on purpose." She shoved her shoulder, a small smile on her face, "Plus, you're only older by three weeks."</p><p>Frankie was a great help growing up, as, since she was a typical baby, she was the example as to when to start doing things. Aunt Precious and Nadia wanted nothing more than their girls to grow up and be best friends, so it seemed like every day she was with Frankie. When Frankie started talking, she would be by next week, when Frankie started walking, she would attempt to pretty soon after.</p><p>That was back when her parents were still together, too.</p><p>"I, Francine Precious Campbell, out prettied! How shall I go on? I am disgraced, disgusted!"</p><p>"Oh, shut up," Eleanor grabbed a pillow and threw it onto her face, now laughing at her cousin's dramatics. "I knew I never should have suggested you audition for A Midsummer Night's Dream. Now you think you're a Shakespear character."</p><p>Frankie huffed, giving her a mock-glare, "Why aren't you denying it?"</p><p>"Hm?"</p><p>"That you're prettier than me! Aren't you supposed to go, 'Oh, Frankie! I'll never be prettier than you, you're by far the greatest thing to ever grace me with your presence. I shall give my life for you!'" Frankie sat up, brushing pieces of her straightened hair away from her face.</p><p>Eleanor gave a very unladylike snort, once again hitting her cousin in the face with a pillow. "You once said it's not good to tell lies."</p><p>"Yeah, and you called me Umbridge." Her voice was muffled by the pillow, which she pushed away. "I supposed, dear little cousin, we can be equally as pretty."</p><p>Eleanor smiled at her, then nodded, noticing how the lipgloss Frankie had overly-applied was now also on her pillow. She didn't voice this, as her lipgloss still looked fine. "Yes, yes. I think it's only fair."</p><p>For someone who, in her past life, loved to do very strong makeup looks, she found that in this life, she didn't. There were other small changes as well, like how her long-time favorite color of red got changed into orange, she now hated milk, and the TV series, Doctor Who, wasn't as bad as she remembered.</p><p>There was a knock at Frankie's door, which, during her toddle years, was painted a periwinkle color. It opened to show the face of Frankie's mom, who grinned at the two. "Grandma Rose says you two better come out now, before she's dragging you two by your hair,"</p><p>It was Easter Sunday, which meant that all of Grandma Rose's children (Nadia, Andre, Alana, and Destiny) came to Precious and Andre's house to celebrate. Since the death of Grandpa Joseph when Eleanor was two, Grandma Rose sold her house to move in with Frankie's family.</p><p>Knowing that their Grandma wasn't joking, the two girls wasted no time in hurrying out of the bedroom. In the living room was a typical Campbell Easter, with Grandma Rose zipping around to make sure everyone was doing okay, Ananda (Frankie's little sister) telling loud stories about pre-school, and Uncle Andre and Uncle Morgan (Aunt Destiny's long-term boyfriend) having loud conversations about whatever topics they enjoyed.</p><p>Overall, it was confusing and suffocating if you weren't used to it. Thankfully for her, Eleanor was used to it.</p><p>At the shout of Aunt Alana's, "They're here!" all eyes turned to them. Eleanor grinned, accepting her hug and not complaining when she gave her a big kiss on the cheek. Though she loved her dad and loved living with him most of the year, she really missed her mom's side of the family.</p><p>Everyone under the age of twenty went Easter egg hunting in the Campbell family. Even Amaya, who was nineteen, was joining in for her last year. It was a big deal, as the things hidden in the eggs ranged from rocks to five-dollar bills. It took a good two hours, as Frankie's family lived on a three-acre property, and all the adults got together to hide the eggs in the most stupid places.</p><p>Normally, Frankie and Eleanor would group together and look, sometimes joined by one of her older half-brothers; Andre Jr., and Michael. However, this time Ananda, being seven, was deemed old enough to go without her mom, so she had to tag along with the two girls.</p><p>To say Frankie wasn't happy was an understatement.</p>
<hr/><p>Eleanor had Ananda's hand in her own, making sure the girl didn't lag behind as Frankie ran ahead, looking into the holes of trees and in bushes. A small woods sat on the property as well, which the two used to spend summer days in, climbing trees. They knew the place pretty well.</p><p>"Remember, Ana, stay within seeing distance." She dropped the little girl's hand, giving her her Easter basket and smiling. "Also, if you see a snake, don't touch it."</p><p>"'Kay!" With a nod of her head, she took off into the surrounding area, looking back several times to make sure the two older girls could still see her. When she decided they could, she began to search around for eggs.</p><p>The continued to search for about twenty minutes, in the meantime finding six eggs, two of which were found by Ananada.</p><p>Said girl let out a loud gasp, being ahead of Frankie and Eleanor, she saw something they different. "Frannie! Effie! Look, look!"</p><p>The cousins shared a look of weariness, both making steps towards where Ananada had disappeared within the bushes. They were getting too far from the house, especially with a seven-year-old, so the plants were getting thicker.</p><p>"The Easter Bunny! Right there, look! Don't you see it?"</p><p>Shoving a tree branch away, she felt the air leave her lungs at the sight of a white rabbit munching on a leaf. Well, it was mainly white, with pink and yellow swirls covering it like a fancy design. Plus, it was wearing a little top-hat.</p><p>Frankie made a noise in the back of her throat, "Wh-What?"</p><p>Eleanor opened her mouth the also spurt out a question, but instead, the sound of a branch breaking caught her attention. Looking over her shoulder, she made eye contact with a pair of light blue eyes.</p><p>Now fully turned around, she came to realize that those blue eyes belonged to no other than Apollo himself. A Greek God. In front of her.</p><p>She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could force her vocal cords to work, Apollo had his fingers on her shoulder, and with a weird pulling feeling in her stomach, she was no longer in the forest.</p><p>"What?" Eleanor did several turn arounds, finding herself in a modern bedroom, with a golden and white color scheme. There was a huge flatscreen TV mounted on the wall; a cart filled with fruits, softly, fluffy bread, and Godly foods; and many, many photos of Apollo showing off his white teeth via a grin.</p><p>"Don't worry," her panicked brown eyes went to the said God leaning calmly against his wall, "I made that bunny myself. It'll be enough to catch their attention for five minutes, which means," he gave her a dazzling grin, "We have enough time to talk."</p><p>(Thalia Grace wasn't lying, Apollo was hot.)</p><p>"About what?"</p><p>Apollo grabbed a bright red apple off of the cart, taking a very dramatic bite out of it. "You. How you're here."</p><p>Eleanor raised a brow at him, "I thought you brought me here."</p><p>"No, no, to this world." That shut Eleanor up. "Yes, yes, some of us Gods know all about your little reincarnation act. Hades was especially mad, but Fate works in odd ways. Your heritage is one of them."</p><p>She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, and gave him a glare, "And what is that supposed to mean, my 'heritage'? You better choose your words lightly -"</p><p>"Hey," Apollo snapped his fingers at her, "cool it! You're lucky I'm a very laid back God. Good ol' dad would have zapped you for your tone alone. Now, continuing on..." He eyed her up and down, like examining an artifact at a museum."Your mom's side of the family has nightmares, right?"</p><p>"Yeah, why?-"</p><p>"My fault," he was still grinning, and his tone gave off that he really felt no guilt, "I let me temper get the best of me, not that she didn't deserve it. Hm, you mortals see it as a tragedy, don't you? The story of Cassandra."</p><p>Her stomach did flips. "Your ex who you cursed with bad prophecies that no one believed?"</p><p>"I wouldn't consider her my ex, more like… a very intimate friend. But, you're correct! Have a grape," he tossed her a whole vine of juicy, big, purple grapes. She ate one, which tasted sweet and very unlike a normal grape. "You, Ellie - do you mind if I call you that? I don't care - are her direct descendant."</p><p>Eleanor's mouth went dry, and to fix this, she quickly shoved several grapes into her mouth. Apollo watched her with an amused grin as she chewed and swallowed, using her arm to wipe away the juice. "Okay… so I'm related to you 'very intimate friend'. Why's this a thing you needed to whisk me away for?"</p><p>"Well, normally this would mean nothing." He hummed, moving his hand in a so-so way. "But unlike years of your fellow family members, you have spent time in direct contact with a demigod."</p><p>"Percy?"</p><p>Apollo nodded, dropping his finished apple core (that she didn't even realize he was still eating) onto the floor. It disappeared right before it hit the plush carpet. "Let's just say you've unclocked your special abilities."</p><p>"My… what?"</p><p>"Well, look at the time!" Apollo took the grapes from her hands, also dropping them to the floor. They never hit the carpet, either. He then gave her a grin, "Been a great talk, Ellie, until next time!"</p><p>One last dazzling grin, and Eleanor was back in the forest.</p><p>Frankie and Ananda were talking in baby voices to the bunny, who seemed to be preening under their attention. Neither seemed to notice her sudden disappearance or reappearance, which took away one of her problems.</p><p>What was her 'special abilities'?</p>
<hr/><p>Her dream that night was odd.</p><p>There was a little Hispanic boy, with pointy ears and elfish features. She recognized him almost as soon as she saw him, Leo Valdez. However, instead of his mischievous smile he was known for in the books, his child-self was sporting a frown and teary-eyes.</p><p>Turning around, Eleanor saw why.</p><p>In front of the boy was a woman with hair the color of fire falling in wavy curls down her shoulders. Her eyes were a mixture of a mossy-green and a black, which seemed to swirl together as if fighting to be the true color of her eyes. Her features seemed softer, as if she was asleep, but she was smiling. She had one of those smiles that told you right away something was wrong, it seemed evil, like someone could burn right before her and she couldn't care.</p><p>And, Eleanor was right.</p><p>Leo's lips moved, but no words came out. The woman's moved in return, and still no voice. He seemed scary, lifting his shaky hands up, and with squeezed eyes, fire flowed from his fingertips.</p><p>Everything seemed to move in fast motions. The woman was gone, having been consumed by the concrete she stood upon. The fire roared around the boy, the smell of smoke and burning metal filled the air, and Leo seemed to be screaming out.</p><p>'<em>Mama</em>!' She read on Leo's lips, causing her heart to hurt. She knew what was happening, but she couldn't stop it.</p><p>Eleanor felt the flames licking against her feet, against her arms, against her body. Smoke clouded her vision, and suddenly it felt like she couldn't breathe. Maybe she was having another asthma attack.</p><p>"<em>Effie</em>!"</p><p>Leo gave a desperate glance around, and, finding that the door to the outside was left alone by the flames, ran towards it, managing to make his way outside.</p><p>"<em>Effie</em>!"</p><p>The flames grew, burning her skin. She choked on the smoke, tears coming to her eyes. The walls began to crumble, falling around her. She screamed.</p><p>"<em>Eleanor</em>!"</p>
<hr/><p>She sat up in bed, heart hammering against her chest, sweaty, and with a pounding heartache. She could still feel the heat on her skin, the flames. The smoke.</p><p>"Oh God, you're burning up!" Sweaty bangs fell against her forehead, where her mother's hand was before. Eleanor took in a deep breath of clean oxygen, feeling her hands shake. "Do you feel sick?"</p><p>Her throat hurt. Her stomach was churning, and she felt ready to barf. Still, she swallowed a few times, and shook her head. "No… can I have water?"</p><p>She felt her ears ring as her mom left the room, returning moments later with a cold glass of water and several Advil tablets. Eleanor swallowed the pills and chugged down the water, feeling the smoke clear from her lungs.</p><p>Nadia placed her hand against her forehead again, frowning. "You're still a little warm. Go back to sleep, honey. Let's see how you are in the morning."</p><p>She numbly nodded, though she knew she wouldn't even try.</p>
<hr/><p>Eleanor's birthday was June second, which meant that her birthday was on Monday, and also the last day of school (for her. Dumb Percy got out in May). So she suffered through a day of school, talking to her friends, getting birthday wishes, and having Happy Birthday sung to her by the very un-vocally talented voices of her fellow seventh-graders. Then she was let out free into the wild for a few months.</p><p>Normally, Frankie would have a birthday dinner with her, but she had play practice and she said it was okay for her to skip.</p><p>So, she was spending the afternoon with no other than Percy Jackson. Which, every time she saw him, she'd have a faint remembrance of her nightmare about Leo Valdez. She may have a fear of fire, now. Only time would tell.</p><p>"Wanna get ice cream?" She had her hands shoved in her jean-short pockets, which now matched her converse (as they were covered in purple sharpie drawings). Her dad gave her twenty-five dollars to spend, and Percy's mom gave him ten. She already knew they were going to pool their money together to buy stuff.</p><p>Percy nodded, albeit a little distantly, "Can we get one that's blue?"</p><p>"Uhmm," she thought for a moment, shrugging, "if we can find any, I guess. I normally get chocolate peanut butter, but maybe they'll have blueberry." He nodded again, and she eyed him. "What's on your mind?"</p><p>"Why does Goode's orientation have to be so soon? Their school just ended." Percy kicked a rock in what she could only describe the most dramatic way.</p><p>She perked up though, "Ooh, so you're going to Goode now?"</p><p>"Yeah. My mom wants me to, and Paul says that the teachers are used to kids like me."</p><p>Eleanor nodded, noticing a place called Pete's Icecream Pallar where she and her dad used to get ice cream after she got straight A's. They stopped, since she stopped getting straight A's. She grabbed Percy's hand and begun to drag her towards it, which earned her an odd look. She just rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Ice cream. C'mon, Fishie." She had started calling him that after his reaction to it, and now he's gotten used to it. She had decided, after her meeting with Apollo, that she would choose the most random time to tell him she knew about the Gods. Though, she'd leave out the past-life stuff, she'd mention Apollo.</p><p>The two entered the Pallar, the small bell signifying them. Still dragging him, Eleanor and Percy made their way to the front desk. The place was mainly empty, other than a very tired-looking mother and her three loud children, all under the age of ten.</p><p>"Do they have blueberry?" It was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. She saw the frustrated look on his face, and felt her mouth form an 'o'. Man, she sucked! "I mean, uhh -" She read over all of the options, eyes landing on the BLUE BLUEBERRY SURPRISE option. "Yeah, they do." She was embarrassed again.</p><p>The two ordered, found a seat as far as they could get from the screaming fest, and dug in. The surprise part of Percy's ice cream was that there was blue Airhead sticking out of it, and that the ice cream was blue itself. He seemed pleased.</p><p>"Hey, Perce?"</p><p>He looked at her, a blue mustache forming from the fact he shoveled ice cream into his mouth without taking a break. He swallowed, not bothering to wipe his face. "Sure."</p><p>"I know you're a demigod."</p><p>And, much to her pleasure, he literally choked.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. chapter four | family grudges suck</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Two: Family Grudges Suck</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>She was getting tired of these stupid dreams.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ever since Apollo forced his stupid self into her life, each night is plagued by some dramatic retelling of a hero's past. She saw Leo accidentally kill his mom, a series of little Annabeth Chase being attacked day and after day, and after day, until finally, she ran away. And finally, she had seen the death of Bianca di Angelo, which was enough for her to wake up screaming and to make Paul worry even more.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And now she was seeing her own past. A lot less dramatic, unless you counted her mom panicking over what to do with a screaming-two-year-old dramatic.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Aunt Precious, with Frankie sitting on her lap (both watching little me's meltdown like it was a reality TV show), laughed. "What's she going off about?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nadia huffed out a breath, crossing her arms as she stared down at the wailing figure of Eleanor. Her hands were balled up and she screeched as loud as her lungs could, a baby blue sock in her hand as the other stayed half-way off her foot.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No idea," Nadia picked up one of her toys, a stuffed monkey named Bobo, and waved it in front of her face. In a voice supposed to be Bobo, she said, "Cheer up Effie! Look, it's me, your best friend!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eleanor was not amused. Using the hand holding the sock, she whacked it out of her hand.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That's when the dream got interesting. It became staticky, as if she was watching it through a TV screen and the connection was failing. Baby Eleanor's wails and the voices of her family members wobbled, changing volumes drastically. The static became darker over time, until she was standing in nothing but inky darkness.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh," a female voice said, "but that isn't what happened, is it?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yeah, Eleanor thought, I don't remember this.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The blackness faded out. Once again she was standing in my mother's living room, but instead of me screaming, it was Frankie with Aunt Precious attempting to calm her down. Eleanor was lying comfortably in her mother's arms, watching the scene like Frankie was before.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The sound of Nadia's laugh caused little Eleanor to look up at her, "Oh, what's Frankie on about now?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Aunt Precious let out a frazzled sigh, "God, if only I knew. You got lucky, El's always so calm."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, well," little her got a kiss on her forehead, "she's just my little girl."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Bobo the monkey got replaced by Oinker the pig, Frankie's childhood go-to toy. Much like Eleanor before, Frankie slapped the pig away and only cried harder.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She didn't remember this either.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hm, I see they cannot fool you," the voice was back, as the scene in front of her froze. The static came back, and before she could think about it, she was once again in the black abyss. "The mist is not so easily pulled over your eyes. This is good."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What?" Eleanor responded, though her words came out like her mouth was muffled. "What's going on?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A light was turned on only steps in front of her. Like a spotlight, it fell onto a single spot - where a girl stood. She was very pretty: pale skin, young features, and hair the color of dragon Lillie. She smiled at Eleanor as she knew her once, many years ago. But the thing that caught her attention is that she had her mother's eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The woman wore a traditionally Greek outfit, or at least what seemed like it. She seemingly glowed, and Eleanor almost groaned out loud. Was this another God to come and bother her?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, child," she spoke, smiling at her warmly, "I am no Goddess. And I never wish to be, the Gods have never treated me kindly."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, lots of people could say that."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In return, she got a laugh, which sounded very soft and overall feminine. "Yes, I see you know well from my people's past mistakes."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Your people's?" She tried to think about what that could mean, but a lot of people had tried to do something with the Gods and got bad things.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, I am Cassandra."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eleanor's mouth formed an 'o' shape. The Mad Princess of Troy, and, if she was to believe Apollo, her ancestor. "Oh."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The woman, Cassandra, nodded. Her face became sad, like she was remembering her past. "Apollo had cursed me for not lying with him, he made it so I could see the future, a form of prophecy, but only bad things. And no one would ever believe my words. When my brother, Paris, was destined to start the war that would ruin our city, I had dreams about it for months. I had tried to get my parents to understand what he would do, but they claimed me a madwoman, and I had disgraced myself. So I told Paris, and he told me I was just going crazy."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her eyes, once the same warm brown of her mother's, became lighter and lighter. They almost flickered, like there was fire crackling behind her irises. Her face morphed from sadness to anger, Eleanor gulped.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, when dear Paris brought home his new love, Helen, a gift by Aphrodite for the dumb golden apple, I was filled with rage! It would be her that would ruin my home - so I attacked her. And what did my dear family do in return for me trying to protect them? They called me mad! They casted me out, disowned me! I was left to the idiot Agamemnon, who, despite my warnings, believed me naught for the danger he was about to face! Even when I told him his wife was planning his death, he still allowed her lover to murder him!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The darkness Eleanor was standing in warped, like someone had taken a metal sheet and wobbled it. Cassandra's irises were no longer a single color, instead consumed by flames. Flames surrounded her, reminding Eleanor's dream of Leo. Her breath hitched.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And," Cassandra continued, "years later, when I found myself a husband who didn't believe me to be crazy, the Gods had to interfere again. Aphrodite, the same Goddess who ruined my city, became infatuated with him. She convinced him to leave me for her, only for the Goddess to grow tired of him not even a week later!" With each word, the flames grew hider, as if edged on by her rage. She gave Eleanor a bitter smile, "And, I found, I was left pregnant with his child. A girl I named Euagora, after my mother's mother."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The flames stopped as if doused with a wave of water. Cassandra's eyes were back to their normal brown, and her expression was pleasant. "And, my dear, on my deathbed my daughter promised my revenge. She said one day the Gods will be overthrown, and my descendant will help."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eleanor didn't like the sound of that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And my daughter, bless her, strived to accomplish this until the day she died. Where her son took on her goals, but, over time, the want has been flushed out. The Gods and their tales are believed to be myths, and your family no longer holds the animosity towards the Gods that they should. Be the example."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The example?" Eleanor croaked out. She was scared the fire might come back, so she thought before she said. "I… Cassandra, I am not a demigod -"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The smell of smoke wafted through the room, and she felt the heat of flames wanting to appear, "Demigods are useless! Mortals are what overtake the world, now. We stand triumph."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But… to go against the Gods?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cassandra gave her a motherly smile, "Dear Eleanor, you shall not be alone. I've heard whispers, Kronos is so close to-"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eleanor's eyes must have widened to the size of dinner plates. She shook her head violently, curls bouncing around. "I cannot - I will not - no!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her eyes flashed with fire again, "There's a boy, Hades' son. He tries to find his sister, poor soul. Another two ruined by God's wrath, and some of their own," she sadly shook her head, "He calls upon souls. I come when he calls, though he doesn't seek me. While I'm there, I hear others speak about Kronos. He is smart, and he knows the way to a life without the Olympians. A life where you could be as powerful as any of their runts."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I-" Eleanor shook her head, "I don't want to be powerful. I want to be normal."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She nodded, "I understand. All I've ever wanted was to be normal. I found peace in the Elysian Fields, but I came to tell you of your destiny."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't have a destiny."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cassandra laughed, "Oh, but you do! It was fate that you meet that demigod boy, that you unlock your true powers. The future will come soon, young one. Make me proud."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Eleanor didn't understand why she had to go with her dad to the Goode orientation. It wasn't her school yet, and her dad never had a problem with leaving her in the apartment for a few hours alone. Plus, she wanted to watch Supernatural episodes before the TV show got bad, which was a very dumb thing she remembered.</p><p>The dream three nights prior was pushed aside, meant to later dissect. She got backtracked, and would probably end up doing it some night instead of sleeping. Plus, everything that had happened was foggy. All she remembered when Cassandra wanted her to revenge her by siding with Kronos.</p><p>As if.</p><p>And, of course, as soon as she saw Rachel Elizabeth Dare she had to get metaphorically whacked in the face with memories. The first was little thirteen-year-old her, reading the book she was currently in for the first time, and hating Rachel because she got in the way of Percy and Annabeth.</p><p>Then was the fact that she was also clear-sighted and the future Oracle.</p><p>Eleanor grinned, making quick steps towards the redhead, who had a waterfall of red curls (almost reminding her of the woman from her nightmare), a face of freckles, and jeans covered in marker drawings. Like her shorts, the same ones from getting ice cream with Percy.</p><p>Walking down the steps of the high school, she could hear the steps of her father as well. "Hi!" She grinned, giving the girl her hand, "I'm Ella! This is my dad, or Mr. Blofis, I guess - he's your English teacher!"</p><p>Rachel smiled at her back, green eyes shimmering as she said her hellos and introduced herself. As Paul began to talk to her, Eleanor looked over the cars, catching the eye of Sally Jackson.</p><p>Then she caught the movement of a very quickly-moving Percy Jackson, causing her to snort and make quick movements to follow him. She knew that he was, right now, being very over-dramatic about seeing Rachel.</p><p>Eleanor watched as Percy used the side-entrance to get into the school. She paused to catch her breath, as the last thing she wanted to do was cause an asthma attack. She forgot her inhaler at home, and she and her dad were still uneasy from the last time.</p><p>She entered the school and literally ran straight into the back of Percy, who made an oomf sound and had to do some shuffling with his feet not to run straight into the two cheerleaders. At the sight of her, his eyes widen, and panic struck his face.</p><p>Oh right, they haven't talked since she dropped the bomb on him. She'd forgotten about that, with the whole Cassandra thing. her life had turned wild since Percy came into it. Someday, when she told him about, she'd have to smack him or something for putting her through this.</p><hr/><p>Percy coughed on his ice cream, giving her a shocked, wide-eyed glance. "Wh-Huh? I'm not… I'm not a demigod."</p><p>She snorted, placing another spoon filled with chocolate peanut butter ice cream in her mouth. She kicked her legs underneath the table, "You're terrible at lying."</p><p>"Am not!"</p><p>"Oh, so you are lying?"</p><p>Percy froze in his seat, like his mind was working really hard to try and figure out what to do. After no one talked for a good six seconds, he frowned, picked up his blue ice cream bowl, and walked out of the Pallar.</p><p>She thought it was too funny to be mad.</p><hr/><p>Eleanor gave him an awkward smile, then turned her attention to the cheerleaders. Her eyes flickered down to her legs, then she made a noise, "They're ugly!" One leg was bronze steel, and the other looked like a donkey or horse leg. They weren't normal girls.</p><p>"What?" Percy looked at her like she was the craziest person he's ever seen, which she took a lot of offense to, as she knows for a fact he's seen worse.</p><p>The cheerleaders hissed at her, literally hissed. However, other than that, they turned their eyes away from her and onto Percy.</p><p>"What's your name, fish?"</p><p>Percy gave Eleanor a cautious look, basically going: Didn't you say they called us that? She tried to convey a very big, No! Through her eyes, but he was already looking back at her.</p><p>"Uh, Percy."</p><p>The cheerleader exchanged looks. "Oh, Percy Jackson," the blonde one said, "we've been waiting for you."</p><p>Eleanor's eyes widened in panic, and she (though she'd never admitted it) hid beyond Percy. Listen, she was a mortal with no weapons and no fighting skills, she wasn't about to kick their butts. His hand disappeared into his pocket, to what she assumed to be Riptide, his sword.</p><p>"Percy?" Each teenager turned to face the saving grace of the hour, Paul Blofis, Eleanor's currently very loved father. Eleanor gripped the boy's hand, and dragged him to her father, shooting the cheerleaders a very false smile.</p><p>His shoot hit one of their legs, a loud, metallic CLANG filled the hallway. Percy noticed the metal leg, as Eleanor had first seen. But, instead of trying his hardest to get away, he just stared at it.</p><p>"Ow," she hissed, "watch it, fish."</p><p>"Hi, old man," Eleanor smiled at her father, ignoring the sound of laughing teenagers. "I was just showing Percy around!"</p><p>Paul raised a brow, "Ella, you've been here twice in three years."</p><p>"Yeah, good memory."</p><p>He shook his head fondly, now turning his attention to Percy, who looked pale and was clutching Eleanor's hand like it was her life in danger. It was cute, in a brother way. "Welcome to Goode!"</p><p>"Hey, Paul-" Eleanor kicked his ankle, "-ah, Mr. Blofis." He looked back over his shoulder, then down at her, then back behind him. She figured his poor mind was whirling.</p><p>"Percy," Paul frowned, "you look like you've seen a ghost."</p><p>He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off, "Don't worry, dad! He's just being a teenage boy, we saw some cheerleaders."</p><p>Percy made a noise like she had just killed someone in front of him, "What?! No!"</p><p>Her dad laughed, clapping him on the back. "Don't worry, I know she's joking. And you also shouldn't worry about school. I know you're nervous, but don't be. We've got a lot of kids here with ADHD and dyslexia. The teachers know how to help."</p><p>Percy didn't respond for a long time. It wasn't awkward, since Paul probably thought he was thinking about his learning disabilities, and Eleanor was staring her future step-brother down. However, the silence was broken when he noticed Rachel Elizabeth Dare enter the room.</p><p>"Where's the orientation?"</p><p>"The gym," Paul answered, "That way. But-"</p><p>"Bye."</p><p>Eleanor almost groaned. Percy had to be literally the stupidest demigod alive, unable to even talk to a girl he met like… years ago! Or maybe that winter. She couldn't remember the exact date.</p><p>He started running towards where her dad pointed, jerking her arm as he dragged her along. She didn't even think he was aware that he did it, more just trying to get away from the redhead. She rolled her eyes, finding his need to escape her annoying. Maybe if he would just talk to her already, everything would be fine!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. chapter five | apollo, the nurse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Two: Apollo, The Nurse</strong>
</p><p>"How did you know?"</p><p>Eleanor looked towards Percy, the two squished into the bleachers, listening to the horrible, horrible noises of Goode's high-school welcoming music or whatever. "What?"</p><p>"That I'm a…" Percy eyed the area around them, like he was waiting for something evil to hop out of the shadows, "demigod." He said it in such a small voice that she almost asked him to speak up. Lucky for him, she didn't.</p><p>"Well," she shrugged, "I think Apollo had something to do with it."</p><p>Percy's eyes doubled in size, "Don't say his name -" he whispered, "something bad will happen, okay? We don't want anything bad to happen."</p><p>She gave him her best deadpan look, "I'm not five, Perc. I know -"</p><p>"No you <em>don't</em> -"</p><p>"Interrupt me again and I'll hit you," she warned, and when Percy only gave her a look in response, she continued on. "Anyways, if you would listen to me, you would know that he uh… came to me."</p><p>Percy made a face, "You're thirteen!"</p><p>"What?" Eleanor made a face back at him, playing with the end of her shorts, "I- what does my age have to do with anything?" When Percy didn't answer, she rolled her eyes and continued on, "He appeared while I was at Mom's during Easter. He said that you were a demigod, and because I've spent a lot of time with you, something has happened to me."</p><p>"What happened?" Percy sounded worried, which made her feel a bit good, she wasn't sure if he would have cared (which was stupid, considering his fatal flaw), "What did I do to you? Are you okay?"</p><p>"Oh, yeah, nothing life-threatening," Percy seemed to calm down at her words, and now just curious. "He said I'm a direct descendant of Cassandra."</p><p>"The crazy girl?"</p><p>Eleanor smacked him lightly on the shoulder, ignoring his complaint, "She's not crazy!"</p><p>"You sound like you know her."</p><p>She ignored him again, "He cursed her with only being able to see the bad parts of the future, and that no one would believe her." Her hand went from pulling on her shorts to the back of her hair, "Anyways, I have somewhat of the same ability, everyone on my Mom's side does. I guess it just laid dormant because there was never anything Goldy to unlock it, or something."</p><p>"And I'm something Godly," Percy frowned, "I unlocked your abilities."</p><p>"Yeah," she nodded, "since I met you… I've been having these dreams."</p><p>"Oh…" Percy looked nervous to guess, "the future? You see the future?"</p><p>Eleanor shook her head, curls smacking her in the face, "No! At least, not yet. I uh, I see the past."</p><p>Percy opened his mouth to respond, but a hand was on his shoulder. He looked alarmed, until he looked behind him and saw who it was. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare."</p><p>The redhead's jaw dropped as if she couldn't fathom how Percy had the nerve to remember her name, "And you're Percy-somebody. I didn't get your full name last December when you tried to kill me!"</p><p>"Look, I wasn't—I didn't—What are you doing here?"</p><p>Both girls looked at him like he was stupid, and, as Rachel was responding, Eleanor's eyes caught the two cheerleaders from before. Her face paled, seeing how ugly they truly were, and she swallowed, hoping they didn't notice Percy.</p><p>"Hi, guys!" The cheerleader from before said, her voice bubbly and like she wasn't some freak from Greek Mythology. "My name is Tammi, and this is like, Kelli." Kelli did a cartwheel.</p><p>"Run," Rachel sounded like she had seen a ghost, and Eleanor knew why, "now."</p><p>"Why?" Percy asked. She didn't explain, instead, she booked it off of the bleachers, shooting the cheerleaders one last horrified look. Eleanor, seeing that Percy was hesitating, rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Idiot," she said to him, which caused Percy to look at her, "follow after her. Especially before the two realize you're here."</p><p>"What's wrong with them?"</p><p>Eleanor's eyes flickered over to the two cheerleaders. Tammi, who must have noticed her stare, shot the girl a cruel smirk. She was still hideous.</p><p>"They're ugly," she gave him a small shove towards the way Rachel left, "really ugly. And I think they're here for you."</p><p>Percy looked like his brain was running on overdrive, "What about you?"</p><p>"Pff, I'll be fine. Go find the redhead."</p><p>He nodded, giving her one last glance before he followed after the trial of Rachel Elizabeth Dare. RED, as she had now just realized. She brushed her bangs out of her face, and turned her attention back to the orientation welcome. She couldn't stop herself from pulling on a piece of her hair in nervousness, though.</p><p>Soon, Kelli and Tammi were gone. Eleanor had to stop herself from following, she doubted that the last thing Percy needed was another mortal when he fought monsters. Plus, call her selfish, but she would rather not see any more Greek Mythology for the rest of her life.</p><p>"So, I see it's all going well," a familiar voice spoke over the sounds of terrible music—really, it sounded like a cat in heat. Eleanor turned her head, seeing the bright smile of a Greek God, Apollo.</p><p>So much for a Greek-free life. Percy was going to be her stepbrother, so she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up, anyways.</p><p>"It's bad for you to be so close to a monster-demigod fight?" Eleanor questioned, not even bothering a hello. She was somewhat upset with him, as, technically, it was his fault she couldn't have a good night's rest. (One could also blame Percy, but she didn't want to.)</p><p>Apollo looked around, then placed a finger against her forehead. She didn't even get out a, don't you dare!</p><p>Once more, she was standing in Apollo's hotel room.</p><p>She made a face, crossing her arms. "What, no grapes this time?"</p><p>Apollo nodded in consideration, then snapped his fingers, causing a table to appear beside her. Covering it was every fruit she could thing of: Bowls with every color of grape, bright red apples, watermelon slices, berries were spilling out of containers, and there was even dragon fruit.</p><p>Eleanor grinned, grabbing a handful of purple grapes and begun to chow down. She watched him, noticing how silent he was being, which was not typical. If she could remember correctly, Apollo liked to talk.</p><p>She was on her fourth grape when the Greek God finally spoke, "I was there when you were born."</p><p>She choked, dropping the grapes onto the floor. Coughing hard enough that her eyes watered, she looked up at Apollo, "W-What?" She inhaled, attempting to stop her coughing. It worked.</p><p>"I was the nurse, which was great, as I am an expert at anything medical related—including the magic of childbirth."</p><p>"You…" Eleanor gaped, "wha-?"</p><p>"I know, I know!" He grinned, "Oh, you're lucky! See, you came out the wrong wa—"</p><p>"<em>No</em>!" She squeaked, "don't talk about it!"</p><p>Apollo was still grinning, which, she had a feeling would have blinded her if he wasn't careful. "I knew you were special. The oracle had said that Cassandra would finally have an ancestor who would take on the legacy."</p><p>"The… legacy?" Eleanor didn't like the sound of that. She picked up a strawberry, and bit into it. She smiled, reminding her of the strawberry shortcake she and her Grandma Blofis used to make, before she passed away.</p><p>She imagined, if she wasn't a mortal, that would be what ambrosia and nectar tasted like.</p><p>"Yes, the one meant to… well, meant to be my oracle."</p><p>She finished the strawberry, dropping the stem part, and watching it disappear before it hit the floor. She hadn't noticed, but the grapes did the same. "No," she shook her head, curls flying, "that's Rac—uh, that's someone else."</p><p>"Yeah, I thought so too," Apollo picked up a plump, biting into it. No juice came flowing out, which caused her more confusion than the conversation. "Since the birth of Maija, I was there for every child on your mom's side of the family's birth. I had thought Francine," she flinched at the sound of her cousin's name, not liking the idea of her having to deal with all of this, "but then you were born. And I knew it was you."</p><p>Wrong, She wanted to shout, it's none of my family members! It's Rachel!, but instead she nodded dumbly. "Uh, why?"</p><p>"Well, first of all, you didn't cry." His tone of voice made it obvious he was reliving her birth, which was, quite frankly, weird. "You looked around in confusion. I knew right away you were one of Them."</p><p>"Them?"</p><p>He shushed her, causing her to glare. "Every once-in-a-while, a soul in the Underworld goes for rebirth. They are taken to the Lethe, but something goes wrong. The Lethe doesn't work, or they somehow don't get bathed. When they're reborn, they remember, and as long as they stay off Hades' radar, they stay alive."</p><p>"I thought you said Hades knew?" She spoke through a few grapes she had shoved in her mouth. She was hungry, or maybe nervous. Maybe both.</p><p>"You're different," Apollo eyed her like he was trying to figure out how he ticked. His grin was gone, and suddenly he seemed serious. She didn't even know that Apollo could be serious. "You're not from our world. Your world, the Greek Gods are just mythology. No demigod mentioned in the books existed, and if they did, they weren't actually demigods. It's an alternate realm, one that good ol' dad likes to ignore."</p><p>Eleanor snorted, "Because he doesn't like being told he doesn't always exist?"</p><p>Apollo shrugged, "Some would say he's afraid of it. A world where there are no Gods, just ways people imagined to explain how the world worked. In this realm, it would cause total chaos. In your original one, it was normal."</p><p>"So, I realm and time traveled?"</p><p>"Basically!" Apollo clapped. He was grinning again, and this time it was almost hard to look straight at it. The lights in the room seemed to become brighter, causing Eleanor to squint. "Your memory of the Percy Jackson books is faint, right?"</p><p>"Right."</p><p>"Well, that'll soon change! Memories will flood back, and it's up to you how you deal with this." One last blinding grin, and his finger was back on her forehead.</p><hr/><p>"Ella?" She was back on the bleachers, but everyone else was gone. It was eerily silent, like she was meant to be there. Her eyes moved towards the worried face of Sally Jackson, who looked as pretty as ever. "Hey, honey."</p><p>"Hi Sally," she gave her future step-mother a small smile, stepping down the bleachers. "It's over already?"</p><p>"Sweetie," Sally's blue eyes shown that she knew something was wrong, "Orientation ended twenty-five minutes ago."</p><p>"Oh." She blinked. She felt weird, like she had just taken a year-long nap and was rudely awaken by an alarm. "Is Percy okay?"</p><p>Sally's face dropped its mask, worry showing through. "Why do you ask that, Ella? What happened?"</p><p>Just like Apollo claimed, memories came pouring in. She saw herself, though the Latina version of what he called the other realm reading over the words of The Battle of the Labyrinth. With Rachel and Paul seeing him fight Tammi, and killing Kelli and Annabeth finding out.</p><p>Her brain felt like mush. Something had changed within her, like someone had flicked a switch and suddenly she knew more than she should. She knew that right now Percy was in a taxi with Annabeth, going to Camp Half-Blood and that Nico di Angelo was within the Labyrinth and trying to find Bianca, whilst listening to a bad guy's ghost.</p><p>"Monsters," her voice came out weak, very unlike her normal tone. She didn't feel like her normal self. No longer did she see everything as the words she'd read on the pages, she was now seeing them as they happened.</p><p>Bianca's death played in repeat. She saw everything in terrifying detail, heard everything with the best quality. Zoë Nightshade followed afterward, to the sickening sound of her body hitting the wall. A son of Apollo (she assumed, judging by his orange shirt, and features near-identical to Apollo's) fought alongside other demigods. In the end, he met his fate by being crushed to death by a giant.</p><p>They played like a slide-show through her mind, screams of pain and shouts of agony following as she witnessed more and more deaths of children she had never met. All were demigods, adorning to the orange shirts. There was battles soon to come, and she was witnessing their casualties.</p><p>"Ella!" A startled voice of Sally broke her out of the visions—into the real world. The older woman had her hands on her shoulders, as her own hands were pressed against her ears. She could feel her tears on her cheeks.</p><p>"So many," Eleanor sniffed, removing a hand to wipe away her tears.</p><p>And though she knew that Sally had no idea what she meant, the woman still nodded, "I know."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. chapter six | a blessing and a fall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Six: A Blessing and a Fall</strong>
</p><p>Car rides with Paul were much preferable over Nadia.</p><p>For one, Paul let Eleanor sit in the front. Not that she was today, that spot was taken by Sally, and since she liked Sally, she didn't put up much of a fight.</p><p>Another reason is that car rides with Paul were fun: unlike the awkward silence with her mom, her dad liked cracking jokes and just generally catching up.</p><p>"Do you have everything?" Sally asked for the 100th time, looking back at her with a soft smile. Her eyes were worried, probably because Percy never thought of giving him mom a quick IM to say, "hey, I'm not dead!" and instead left only Eleanor's constant assurance that she saw him leave with a blonde girl. (Which was a lie, but what Sally didn't know couldn't hurt her).</p><p>Eleanor nodded, giving her a smile back. Contrary to her typical look, she let her hair down from a pony-tail, "Yup! I told you already, I double-checked."</p><p>Sally nodded, giving her once last motherly grin, then turned back to face the right away. Eleanor swung her feet, looking out the window as she got lost in thought.</p><p>The musical Hadestown was, in her first life, a very big favorite of hers. She used to sing it to her cats, who, since they were felines, had no respect for the very good music of it. Eleanor wasn't a singer - not in this life or the last - but in her old body, she was good at the piano. So she played the Hadestown songs on there until her parents (and later roommate) yelled at her to stop.</p><p>It had to be some kind of divine intervention that Frankie decided she was going to audition for her local theatre group's production of it. And that she was also going to force Eleanor, her non-musically talented cousin, to do the same.</p><p>"Don't worry about it!" Frankie had told her, "Only me and a few others can actually sing, either you'll get in or you won't - does it really matter?"</p><p>It didn't, but that didn't mean Eleanor appreciated being told what musicals she had to audition to. Plus, it meant that Sally and her dad had to drive them to her mom's house, and she wasn't ready for the smell of testosterone when whatever her mom's boyfriend's name was met Paul.</p><p>Maybe if she was lucky he'd stay in the car.</p><p>Everything was going pretty well, until the car started to slow down.</p><p>"Dad?"</p><p>She got no response. She leaned forwards and looked between the two adults in the front seats of the car. Both seemed frozen in time, staring forwards with glossy eyes and animated expressions, like they were in the middle of a conversation and just… stopped.</p><p>Her heart-beat rose. "Dad? Sally?"</p><p>Neither moved, and they didn't even flinch when she unbuckled herself to blow air onto their eyes. No blinking, no complaining, no anything.</p><p>"Oh Gods…" Eleanor looked around, readying herself for some kind of Greek asshole to pop up and make themselves known. Who else could freeze them? Maybe they were mad at her for her reincarnation act, maybe they knew who they were and wanted to anger a certain son of Poseidon, maybe they were just hungry.</p><p>"Well," came a voice from the backseat of the car, since she was forcing her already cramped body to sit on the centerpiece. Her eyes widened as she turned around to face the person sitting where she was moments ago, "God, but close enough."</p><p>Eleanor stared at him, her heartbeat slowly quieting down. One-beat, two-beat, three-beat. It took her a moment to catch her voice.</p><p>"Apollo?"</p><p>"In the flesh."</p><p>Her confusion turned to annoyance. "Apollo!" She groaned, "What did you do? They're stuck!"</p><p>He shrugged, like her frozen parents weren't such a big deal, "Heard you were auditioning for a musical."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"And, I thought, no Oracle of mine is going to get outshined by other brats!"</p><p>"I'm not your -"</p><p>"So, with your best thoughts in mind, I'm giving you my blessing."</p><p>Eleanor stared. Apollo smiled. She sighed, which came from the very deep annoyance she carried in her soul. He was still grinning.</p><p>"Your blessing?"</p><p>"Yes!" He placed his hand on her shoulder, and they stood outside of her father's Prius. "No, there isn't a lot that goes into this," he was still grinning, "but all I have to do is this…"</p><p>"What if I don't want your -"</p><p>His pointer and middle finger were placed against her forehead, cutting her complaint off. Apollo closed his eyes, his face concentrating (which made him look constipated).</p><p>Then, Eleanor felt something weird.</p><p>It was like she had a brain freeze, wrapping its way around her skull and causing a small cry of pain from her. As soon as she had processed the coldness, it was hot - well, more like warm. It didn't hurt so much, more that feeling when someone plays with your hair and your scalp goes all tingly. Not that she liked people playing with her hair. Only Frankie and her mom were allowed to, maybe her dad if she was upset.</p><p>Then he removed his finger, leaving her feeling warm and different. Well, not extremely different, she couldn't like run super fast or punch a hole into a wall, but she knew something had changed. "What did you do?"</p><p>Apollo looked pleased with himself, "I gave you my blessing."</p><p>"Yeah," Eleanor responded, "I already knew that." She dragged her fingers through her curls, letting out a groan, "So I can sing now?"</p><p>The Greek God nodded, "According to the Laws," Eleanor nodded, knowing what he met, "I can't completely bless someone without them doing something to deserve it, but it never said a particle blessing. So you can sing and feel better in the sun, that's it."</p><p>Wow, he almost sounded smart.</p><hr/><p>Eleanor watched Frankie audition, sat on the uncomfortable chair in the back of the auditorium. Her audition was ten minutes before, and much to both her and her cousin's shock, her singing was beautiful.</p><p>And that wasn't putting it on thick.</p><p>Even the casting directors seemed shocked, and she knew she shouldn't have let it get to her head, but damn… she owed Apollo.</p><p>It was also a good thing Frankie wasn't upset she suddenly gained the ability to sing, considering it took her years of vocal lessons to get where she is today.</p><p>"Hey," whispered someone, and Eleanor turned her head to see Maija, who drove the two here, "I left my coat in the basement, can you go get it?"</p><p>"Why were you in the basement?"</p><p>She narrowed her eyes, "Don't ask questions."</p><p>She agreed, mainly because Maija threatened to not get her McDonald's on the way home. Eleanor hopped down the stairs, skipping two at a time as she focused on not falling. That would hurt.</p><p>When she managed to get to the basement, which is where the theatre group kept their old costumes and unused other things, she eyed the room for her cousin's jean jacket. When she found it, she pulled off her messenger back (which had her and Frankie's water bottles and a few snacks for Maija's diabetes), and pulled on the jacket.</p><p>That's when she noticed there was something heavy in the pocket.</p><p>Expecting it to be a phone or something, Eleanor slipped her hand inside and pulled it out, shocked to find a dagger instead. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, and she practically threw the blade in shock.</p><p>"What the shit!" She screeched, her hand once more going into the pocket, praying not to find anything else. Her prayers weren't answered when her fingers tightened around a piece of paper.</p><p>She pulled that out as well, seeing it folded into a triangle shape. With shaky hands, she unfolded it, and found a small note addressed to her.</p><p>
  <em>Ellie,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Think you may need this,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You did great at your 'dition,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Check under the bookshelf!</em>
</p><p>Eleanor assumed it was Apollo, since it was a Haiku. Though not correctly, as the last line was six syllables. Which, if she remembered correctly, he did in The Titan's Curse.</p><p>Now knowing the blade wasn't a murder weapon or something, she picked it back up and checked it over. It was a simple dagger, 10in's or so, and was made out of bronze. Or, Celestial Bronze, she figured, since this was Percy Jackson.</p><p>But there was something different about it.</p><p>On the very top, about the size of the top of her pointer finger, was made out of steel. The kind that hurt humans, not monsters. That meant it could work on both, she thought, right?</p><p>Eleanor poked the top, biting her lip as it pricked her finger. It didn't bleed, which was good, but instead, the blade got hot. "Ow!" She complained, dropping it again.</p><p>As soon as it hit the ground, it started glowing, covering itself in what reminded her of that yellow stuff Timelords got when they regenerated in Doctor Who. It got so bright she had to close her eyes and turn her head away, and she could literally feel the warmth against her skin.</p><p>Then it was gone.</p><p>In the place of the dagger now laid a hair clip, golden with small silver suns across it. She laughed, softly, and picked it up. She had a magical weapon!</p><p>She clipped it into her hair, keeping her now growing-in bangs away from her face.</p><p>Now to check under the bookshelf.</p><p>Putting the messenger bag back over her shoulder, she made her way towards the shelf containing all of the past scrips done by the theater group. It was on the smaller side, and seemed easy enough to move, she leaned the side of her body against it and pushed.</p><p>Her combat boots screeched against the floor, along with the bookshelf itself. It was harder than she expected, but after a few moments, it moved.</p><p>Eleanor heaved in a breath, wiping the back of her hand against her forehead. She looked at the wall where it once stood. And, to her surprise, she found it.</p><p>A Δ, glowing blue, and placed ankle-length. She pursed her lips, getting onto her knees to take a closer look.</p><p>She remembered, in the book she's currently living through, that Rachel had found this in New York and Annabeth said a demigod had to touch it to make it open. And even then, it opened a staircase that they had the option to go down. So, she didn't have to worry about that.</p><p>She placed a finger against the Delta symbol, and then heard what sounded like metal screeching together. Her eyes winded, and, before she could even move, the floor went out beneath her.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>Eleanor was stood on a beach, her toes dug into the sand and the ocean breeze softly hitting her face. She was dressed like Cassandra all those nights ago, a traditional Greek chiton, with her hair done up in braids and ribbons.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Okay," Eleanor spoke out, "whatever Greek asshole is here to bother me, let's get it over with."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ella?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She looked over her shoulder, seeing Percy Jackson in the flash stood only a stone throw's away from her. She smiled at him, "Oh, it's my favorite Greek asshole."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Percy rolled his eyes, the same color as the ocean she stood before, and moved so he stood beside her. She grabbed his hand, and squeezed it. He squeezed it back. "Why are you dressed like that?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh," she looked down at her outfit and shrugged, "when I have dreams, I'm always wearing something different. Are you safe?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Percy nodded. He didn't look at her, but instead focused his eyes out towards the water.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Sally's worried."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That made him look upset. His eyes closed and he scrunched his eyebrows together, and squeezed his hand once more. "Is she okay?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah," using her free hand, she brushed a loose curl away from her face, "yeah, she is." Now the sand beneath her toes felt uncomfortable, and the wind became harsher. Percy opened his eyes and glanced around, as if looking for something.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I need to wake up," he said, dropping her hand.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eleanor raised a brow, "What? Why?" She licked her lips, "Are you in the Labyrinth?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Percy turned to look at her, shocked at her words. "How did you know?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I had a dream," she lied, licking her lips again. They felt chapped against the wind, but also salty from the water. "Percy -"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I have to wake up," he repeated, "something's wrong."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She remembered the blue triangle. She pushed it, and she fell. She was remembering all of it, and she had to tell him. "Percy!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ella, I have to!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm in the labyrinth too!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The wind stopped. The sand beneath her feet felt soft again. Percy looked panicked, "What?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I… I fell into -" She didn't get to finish her sentence.</em>
</p><hr/><p>It felt like someone was playing the drums on her temples. Eleanor groaned, attempting to open her eyes. She expected to see the creepy, flickering lights of the basement. Instead saw a stone ceiling, eliminated by a sort of golden light.</p><p>Wait, she sat up, which only worsen her headache, no, no! She looked around, seeing nothing but high stone walls and darkness.</p><p>She swallowed, placing a hand against her forehead. Her dream with Percy came back to her, which at least allowed her to know he was safe. But, if she had a dream… how long had she been down there?</p><p>Forcing herself to stand up, she put weight on her left ankle and cried out. It hurt, not enough to be broken, but definitely sprained. Hobbling over to the wall, she placed her back against it, using that to lift her foot off of the floor.</p><p>Eleanor's eyes caught her newly gifted blade on the floor, glowing golden as if some kind of magical flashlight. Right beside it, left in a heap, was her messenger bag. Both looked fine, like the fall wasn't much, but her body felt like she just lost a fight against a concrete slab.</p><p>A small gasp passed her lips when she noticed something else - a small, blue line leading down the hallway. It glowed softly, not enough to light the place up, only just so she could see it. It was the same color as the Delta symbol in the basement.</p><p>"So," she spoke to herself, "I guess I know what to do."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. chapter seven | carla and d'andre</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Seven: Carla and D'Marcus</strong>
</p><p>Eleanor got sick of walking pretty quickly.</p><p>She had moved for what felt like hours, her dagger-light clutched in her hand so tightly her knuckles were white. Any small noise and she jumped, afraid to get snuck up on by some monster—or worse, one of the traitor demigods.</p><p>When her feet felt like they were going to fall off, she gave up and decided it was time to rest. Throwing the messenger bag to the ground, she sat down beside it, sitting criss-cross on the hard floor.</p><p>Eleanor's stomach rumbled, hungry for the McDonald's Maija promised her. She sighed, rubbing the pads of her pointer fingers against the corner of her eyes, "I can't believe I'm going through all of this because of McDonald's. Can I sue them?"</p><p>No one responded, mainly because she was talking to herself. She had been doing that a lot, needing something to take her mind away from the everything else. She also hummed whatever songs came to mind.</p><p>She sighed again, opening the bag in the hopes of finding something to eat. Thanks to Maija's case of Type One Diabetes, the bag contained a few snacks: a travel pack of Gold Fish (the snack that smiles back!), a cherry-flavored Pop-Tart, two lollipops you get at the doctor's office, and a Snickers bar.</p><p>That, added with a pack of mint gum she found in the jean jacket's pocket, her water bottle, and Frankie's half-drank bottle of warm Diet Pepsi, was all the food she had on her.</p><p>Great, she was going to starve down here.</p><p>Eleanor decided not to eat any food, and instead have breakfast when it would do her better. She had to not go through all her food quickly, since she had no idea how long she would be down here.</p><p>Grabbing a pony-tail off her wrist, she tied her curls back and laid her head down on the messenger bag, shoving her hands into the pockets in the hope for warmth. Her fingers felt around Maija's car keys, and she started to cry.</p><p>She was tired, sweaty, sore, and alone. Completely alone. Even if she did find someone, they were either going to try and kill her or get her to fight for Kronos or something.</p><p>Considering her luck recently, they'd probably somehow know Percy Jackson was practically her step-brother and hold her hostage.</p><p>She'd much rather have the nightmares than be down here. She'd take seeing Leo's mom burn to death or Bianca dying in an explosion of blue stars and fire over and over instead of this. She'd gladly have another annoying conversation with the God of music where he admitted to watching her birth and all the complications.</p><p>Bianca. Bianca di Angelo. Nico di Angelo.</p><p>Nico was in the Labyrinth!</p><p>Not only was Nico in the Labyrinth, so was Percy—she was so upset that she had forgotten all about that. He was here with Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson. She could find him, maybe, if she focused hard enough.</p><p>A clear-sighted mortal was needed o find the way. She was a clear-sighted mortal. Eleanor figured that it was Apollo's blessing that allowed her to gain access, but even with his blessing she still was mortal.</p><p>That was the blue line on the floor. It was leading her somewhere it thought she needed to go. Maybe to Percy? Maybe an exit?</p><p>"Hey," she whispered to the Labyrinth, wondering if the walls themselves could listen, "I need to get to Percy Jackson."</p><p>Nothing responded, which she figured. But still, she had to ask again, "Please, please lead me to Percy Jackson."</p><p>The blue light seemed to glow even brighter, reflecting off of the walls and blaring into her eyes. She placed her hand against it. It felt warm.</p><p>"Okay," she mumbled, "I hope that's good."</p><hr/><p>"Very good, Francine," the woman who was directing the musical smiled at Frankie, "I'll call your mother if you get a role."</p><p>"Okay," Frankie responded, giving her a huge smile back. She walked down the stage steps to her cousin Maija, who drove her and her other cousin Effie here. When she saw one and not the other, she frowned.</p><p>"Where'd she go?"</p><p>Maija looked up from her phone with a raised brow, "Who?"</p><p>"Effie."</p><p>The older girl lowered her phone and slowly looked around, "I asked her to go to the basement like ten minutes ago. She should be back."</p><p>Frankie chewed on her bottom lip, reaching up to brush a piece of her straightened hair away from her face. "Maybe she got lost? My audition's done, we can go now."</p><p>Her cousin responded to whatever text message she was reading before and stood up, stretching her arms above her head in an overly-dramatic fashion. "'Kay, Tiny. Let's go find Tiny Two."</p><p>So they did search. First, they checked the basement, then they checked the bathrooms, the room the two auditioned in, and lastly any other side room. It was an hour and fifteen minutes later when Maija called their Aunt Nadia.</p><p>It was twenty minutes after that Nadia Campbell came in her old, barely working car. She was also crying, which Frankie was sure she'd never see her Aunt do. "Have you found her yet?" Nadia asked, attempting to brush her tears away with her fingers.</p><p>Frankie shook her head, "No, Aunt Nadia." That just made her cry harder. "Shouldn't you call her dad?"</p><p>Nadia sniffed, "Huh?"</p><p>"Effie's dad. Paul?"</p><p>"Oh," she nodded her head, brushing another few tears away, "yes, yes I will."</p><p>"Maybe the police?" Maija added in, "I can call the police."</p><p>Her Aunt frowned, "Why would we call the police?"</p><p>Frankie and Maija shared a look. They both knew their Aunt was a bit of an airhead, but normally she wasn't this out-of-it. Maybe it was just the trauma of her missing daughter, "Aunt Nadia," Frankie started, "Effie's missing. We need the cops to find her, right?"</p><p>At her words, the mother started sobbing again, "Oh, my baby!" She cried, "My baby's gone! My poor baby!"</p><p>Maija sighed, "I'll call the police."</p><hr/><p>Eleanor woke up to the sound of the walls moving. Like metal screeching against metal or an old rusted shut garage door forcing itself open.</p><p>Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up and groaned. Her back ached from sleeping on the floor (plus from falling literally from the ceiling), her feet still felt sore, and her stomach was now rumbling violently.</p><p>She munched on half of one of the Pop-Tarts. It wasn't enough to completely fill her up, but it at least made her stomach stop complaining. Using her knee as support, she stood up and grimaced as her back cracked.</p><p>She looked down at the blue line, bending her toes in her boots to get them ready for another long day of walking. Lifting her bag up and placing it on her shoulder, she stared down the now steel floor.</p><p>The Maze seemed alive, shifting around and suddenly blocking passages or making walls close in so much Eleanor would feel claustrophobic. A few times it had gotten so bad she had to crawl until it finally loosened up, which made her knees and wrist hurt. Plus, her palms were skinned because each time it just happened to be that kind of material that was cement with little stones or shells.</p><p>She once, as a toddler in this life, fell on Paul's mom's pathway made out of the same material. It caused her knees and hands to get all torn up, and every time she felt the sting in her palms, it would remind her of that day.</p><p>Eleanor was walking normally again, this time in a passageway that would often little doors to trick her into trying and to enter them. The little blue line on the floor stayed forwards, so she followed.</p><p>Halfway through, she started counting the newly appearing doorways. After she passed the sixteenth one, she heard a voice yelling at her, "Hey! Who are yuh?" The girl spoke with a heavy Brooklyn accent. She was on the tanner side, with elbow-length dark brown hair and dark eyes. She was taller than the guy beside her, seemingly almost 6ft.</p><p>The guy beside her in question was more around 5'6 or so. He looked to be younger than the other girl but older than Eleanor, with a chubby face, dark skin, brown eyes, and a black afro.</p><p>"Uhm," she started, "I'm Ella."</p><p>The girl scoffed, "Oh, are yuh? Well, Ella, what're yuh doin'?"</p><p>"Walking."</p><p>The boy snorted at her response, which caused the girl to shoot him a glare. "I doan recognize yuh," she now looked at her, "Yuh wawhkin' wit' Luke, or what?"</p><p>Oh shit, Eleanor thought, they're the traitors. Play stupid! "Who's Luke?"</p><p>"No one," the boy responded, "I'm D'Marcus, this is Carla. How'd you get here?"</p><p>"There was a…" she hesitated, trying to make it look like she was confused, "a glowing blue triangle." The two others shared looks, "I pressed it and it opened up a staircase. I went to check it out, and got lost."</p><p>"She's a demigod," D'Marcus attempted to whisper to Carla, even though Eleanor could still hear him, "right? Didn't Luke say only demigods can do that?"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, he did say dat. Hey Ella, yuh wanna come wit' us?"</p><p>She looked at the glowing blue light, bitting down on her lip. If she went with them, she would be surrounded by demigods who wanted to kill her future step-brother. Plus, they had a fighting ring or something. But still… they maybe had food. And she could convince them she was just a lost demigod of some extremely minor God who's never been attacked by monsters, and maybe they'd let her go.</p><p>"Do you have a way out?" She asked, biting the inside of her cheek.</p><p>"Yeah!" D'Marcus smiled at her, "You have to meet our friend, Luke, though. He'll explain everything."</p><p>Something felt off in my stomach, like my gut was screaming at me: This is a terrible idea! Are you trying to die? What if Percy sees you and thinks you're betraying him!</p><p>No, she was sure if Percy saw her he'd assume she'd been taken hostage and attack. He had no idea when not to let his loyalty control him, which she blamed on his fatal flaw.</p><p>"How old are yuh?" Carla asked, looking Eleanor over like she wasn't much. "I'm eighteen, Marc is fifteen."</p><p>"D'Marcus," he corrected her. She ignored him.</p><p>"Oh," she was younger by quite a lot, "thirteen."</p><p>D'Marcus raised his eyebrows, "Geez, no monsters have found you or nothing?"</p><p>"I don't think so," she shook her head, "I've seen them, though." She made her eyes go wide and terrified, trying her hardest to play up the terrified demigod act, "I've seen women with snake tails for legs, or dogs that, if I look close enough, turn out to be huge!"</p><p>"Damn," Carla looked at her like she was something strange, "Nawhmally dey'd be quick tuh bite your head off, so, do yuh know dat you're a demigod yet?"</p><p>Eleanor nodded, "My mom said my father was a God, but she's a bit loopy," she felt like the worst daughter ever for saying that, "so I thought she was lying. But… after a while it got easier to believe."</p><p>"What's your last name?' D'Marcus asked, "We're supposed to ask that before we bring you back, but you're a different position than most."</p><p>She didn't ask what he meant like that, but also she didn't want to say her actual last name. There's a chance that, somehow, they knew Percy was Paul's step-son (not quite, close enough). But then they'd probably know what she looked like, too. Still, it was best if she didn't include any connection to Percy.</p><p>"Levesque." Wasn't that Hazel's last name? Oh well, she was still dead. "Eleanor Levesque, but everyone calls me Ella."</p><p>"Nice," Carla made a turn, which D'Marcus and Eleanor followed, "mine is Alonzo, Marc's is Green."</p><p>D;Marcus didn't bother trying to correct her on his name again, which caused her to frown. Still, Eleanor didn't mention it. "This place changes all the time, how do you know where to go?"</p><p>He gave her a quick smile, "My mom's Tyche, the goddess of luck. Unlike my half-sister, I got her extremely good luck. There's no way for us to get lost, everything always goes good for me."</p><p>"What did your sister get?"</p><p>"Oh, Apelila? Yeah, she got the bad luck. Turn this way."</p><p>They continued walking for a while, stopping only once to share the Gold Fish and talk a little bit more. She found out that Carla was the daughter of Hercules ("Yeah," she rolled her eyes, "dat Hercules.") and the two often were trying to figure out who her dad could be.</p><p>After that, they walked again for a few minutes, having to crawl twice, when they finally made it to an exit. "Dis is de Princess Andromeda, Luke's waitin' fawh us here."</p><p>"Originally, we were supposed to look for the entrance into Camp Half-Blood, but he also said if we found any demigods to bring them here." They exited the Labyrinth, and entered a shopping mall's food court. D'Marcus blushed, like he was embarrassed it wasn't the Princess Andromeda. "Dang, last time it was by the docks."</p><p>"De hell? Lucky, I thoughtcha nevuh got lost, or what?" Carla looked around, glaring at the passers-by like it was their fault.</p><p>Lucky must have been D'Marcus, because he rolled his eyes, "The entrance probably moved, it does that all the time. This mall's gotta be close."</p><p>"It's okay anyway," Eleanor gave a smile at the two, "I have to use the bathroom."</p><p>Carla nodded, "Okay den, be quick. And get us some food." She pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of her jeans pocket and handed it to her, which Eleanor took.</p><p>D'Marcus looked around, "McDonald's sound good?"</p><p>"Yeah," Carla responded, and Eleanor smiled. Turns out she was getting the food Maija promised.</p><p>She used the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, looking herself over. Her hair was in a horrible pony-tail, worn from what seemed like years of walking below the earth. Her skin was freckled in dirt and seem paler—which made her sigh.</p><p>Since her mom was black and her dad was white, she had a dark-tannish skin color. Not as dark as the rest of her family, but still nowhere near the pale skin of her dad. Since it was the summertime and she spent a lot of time outside, she got a bit tanner. Now, because of however long she spent in the Labyrinth (for her it had been two days, who know s how long it was for everyone else), the lack of sun made her skin seem paler.</p><p>She didn't appreciate it.</p><p>Eleanor washed her hands. It stunk her skinned palms and caused her to wince. A few small stones fell out of the wounds, causing her eyes to widen with shock. Yikes, that wasn't good She needed a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide, or something.</p><p>Looking down, she saw her dark jeans had their knees ripped to shreds and they were bloody. She took a paper towel and damped it, wiping the blood off will small cries of pain each time it stung.</p><p>She then washed her face off with another towel, redid her pony-tail, and left the bathroom. Playing with the money in the pocket of Maija's jean jacket, Eleanor got in line at the McDonald's, only to notice a somewhat small boy in front of her.</p><p>The breath felt like it left her lungs. He had shaggy, black hair and skin so pale he sickly. His face was layered with purple under-eye bags and his lips were badly chapped. He was dressed in a big aviator jacket that his skinny frame seemed to drown in. He looked so out of place in the busy McDonald's, and so much that she was surprised more people didn't stare.</p><p>Here she was, standing only a few inches away from Nico di Angelo. After weeks of dreaming of his sister's death.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. chapter eight: nico di angelo applies chapstick</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi :)</p><p>so obviously its been like a hot minute since i updated that. stuff happened in my life and i was unable to write nor did i want to write for a long time.</p><p>hopefully ill be able to write more often now!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Eight: Nico di Angelo Applies Chapstick</strong>
</p><p>Eleanor figured she had to be the stupidest person alive.</p><p>She had stared at Nico like he was a zoo animal, mouth agape, and everything. It didn’t take long for the eleven-year-old to notice, and then she had noticed with a gulp that his dark eyes narrowed at the sight of her, then widened slightly as if she was the interesting one.</p><p>Nico then gave a small grunt (which was very funny, in her opinion) and turned around, focusing his eyes straight ahead like he was trying not to look at her. And Eleanor figured he probably was.</p><p>“Hey, Ella!” It was D’Marcus, the jacket he was wearing before off and tied around his waist. The dark blue shirt had seen better days, about one tear away from looking like a The Walking Dead extra. “Carla and I will meet you outside, ‘kay? This mall is right beside the dock!”</p><p>Okay, she thought, but that doesn’t explain where we are. Still, she gave him a thumbs up and smiled. He smiled back, and then quickly made his way to the Men’s Restroom.</p><p>The line continued like normal, so much she almost forgot of the little spawn of Hades before her. Almost. He kept muttering to himself, which no one else but she seemed to notice.</p><p>Eleanor felt bad, figuring the poor boy was alone with only a ghost as company, desperately trying to talk to his sister and having weird hate-crush feelings towards Percy.</p><p>Nico ordered his food and left, so then she ordered her food and left as well, a bag of warm burgers, fries, and chicken nuggets in hand. She got three water bottles out of the mall’s vending machine, and left with her stomach growling for some fast food.</p><p>“Who are you?” A voice asked, and Eleanor faltered, standing on the sidewalk right beside the mall. McDonald’s still clutched in hand, she turned around to find Nico himself glaring at her.</p><p>She furrowed her brows. “Ella. How about you?”</p><p>“None of your business.” He looked at her like one wrong move and she’d be dead, but he was holding a Happy Meal box, so it was hard to take him seriously.</p><p>Eleanor shrugged, “Okay, then.” using her hand not holding the food, she reached into the jean jacket’s pocket and pulled out Maija’s chapstick, holding it out in front of her. “Wanna use some? Your lips look like you make out with sandpaper daily.”</p><p>Did the kid even know what sandpaper was? Or making out? He must have at least knew that was an insult, because he made a sort of annoyed noise in the back of his throat, and reached for the cosmetic.</p><p>She watched with a satisfied grin as he applied a heavy coat, probably annoyed by his chapped lips as well. He then handed the chapstick back, but she shook her head, “No, keep it. You need it more for me.”</p><p>Eleanor didn’t wait for a response, she instead turned herself back around, and moved towards where she could see the figures of Carla and D’Marcus arguing. After a few more moments, she was close enough to hear.</p><p>“What do yuh mean?” Carla snapped, her arms crossed defensively. Her whole body language screamed she was readying to jump and physically fight D’Marcus. “He's supposed tuh be at Camp! Okay? What's he doin' here?”</p><p>D’Marcus threw his hands up, “How am I supposed to know?”</p><p>“Who?” Eleanor joined the two, rolling her shoulders to try and fix some of the tension that she hadn’t realized until now. Then, she remembered she should have been playing stupid, “What Camp?”</p><p>“Camp Half-Blood, remembuh?” Clara’s Brooklyn accent only seemed to get worse when she was mad. “Anyways, a boy named Aaron's here. An Apollo kid, tall, Filipino, hard tuh miss him.” She looked at the surrounding crowds like she was expecting him to pop out of a bush and shout, hazzah! “Okay? Might be your brudder.”</p><p>“Let’s just get to the boat, yeah? Maybe he’s here with his mom or something.” D’Marcus had his hands in his jean pockets, “Plus, Aaron and I were friends, he wouldn’t…”</p><p>“Are yuh fawhgettin' you're now a traitawh? Yuh wawhk wit' him, dey won't fawhget that!”</p><p>Her accent was getting so strong Eleanor had trouble understanding. But he could, considering his eyes dropped to his shoes and he let out a miserable sigh, “You’re right.”</p><p>“Let’s go.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Princess Andromeda was a large cruise ship, packed with monsters and demigods to raise Kronos’ army. Eleanor’s heart pounded away in her chest, realizing that if a monster sniffed her and found she didn’t smell godly, she was doomed.</p><p>D’Marcus and Carla were beside me, standing on the deck as monsters shuffled around us. As if my anxiety came off of me in waves -- which it probably did -- he turned and gave me a smile, “Don’t worry, El, the monsters won’t kill you unless you deserve it.”</p><p>Yeah, thanks, that helps so much.</p><p>“Come on,” Carla bumped her shoulder in a playful way, “Luke likes tuh meet all de new recruits.”</p><p>So she followed, swallowing down her anxiety every time someone gave her a second glance. They moved to what she assumed was Luke’s office, which sounded dumb, and D’Marcus raised a cautious hand and knocked on the door.</p><p>It was quiet for a long moment, into the voice of a young man answered, “Come in.”</p><p>D’Marcus opened the door, whose hinges squeaked as it swung open, and Eleanor followed the two real demigods inside.</p><p>“Luke,” Carla was the first to speak, as the other girl shut the door behind him, “D'Marcus and I found huh in de Labyrinth.”</p><p>Luke’s blue eyes, blue like his father’s, looked her over. She didn’t look like much, dirty and bloody and ready to drop dead from the lack of sleep, yet he smiled. It looked a bit forced, and his scar moved as he did so. She didn’t stare.</p><p>His dip in the River Styx, if she remembered correctly, had happened already, but he looked exhausted, and he looked upset. This was around the time he wanted to cut all ties with Kronus, but he was in too deep. She felt bad.</p><p>“I’m Eleanor Levesque,” the lie fell easy from her lips, “but everyone calls me Ella.”</p><p>“Welcome, Ella, I’m Luke,” he was handsome, she decided, with a sharp jawline and a built figure. His good looks weren’t enough to cover up all the horrible things he did.</p><p>Call her a bad person, but the man before her manipulated Silena, kidnapped Annabeth, has tried to kill Percy and Co. several times, and was about to be responsible for battles that killed so many. The thought of it caused her stomach to churn.</p><p>“Do you know your Godly parent?”</p><p>She shook her head, “No, but Carla says she thinks it’s Apollo or one of the Muses,” she rubs the tip of her nose, “I like singing and theatre.”</p><p>Oh Gods, she thought, here I was saying I just wanted to make them think I was some barely-there minor God’s child, but I’m making myself look like a kid of Apollo!</p><p>Then started the What God Made You Quiz:</p><p>“How about healing?”</p><p>“Uhm, my aunt’s a nurse.”</p><p>“Archery?”</p><p>“Never tried it.”</p><p>“Poetry?”</p><p>She cringed, “Nope.” Yeah, emo poetry from her past life. She didn’t need that memory.</p><p>“Do you feel different in the sun?”</p><p>“I feel like, warm.” That was a stupid answer, but he took it.</p><p>Luke nodded, “Maybe Apollo, or a minor God with music. Have her try a bow.” And they were dismissed.</p><p>And that was, for the first time, she realized just what the hell she was doing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. honey eyes, honey name</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Nine: Honey Eyes, Honey Name</strong>
</p><p>That night she had another dream.</p><p>
  <em>There was a strike of lightning across the sky, then heavy drops of rain falling to the earth, soaking the ground.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There was a boy, around her age, maybe a few years older, with soaked blond hair and electric blue eyes. His purple shirt clung to his body from the rain and he was holding a golden sword.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jason. She wasn’t sure how she knew it was him, but she did, with no doubt. Beside him was a girl, on the taller side, with a messy braid of black hair and tan skin. She was saying something to Jason, he didn’t respond.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She was falling, falling, falling. Her back smacked against the hard floor of the Labyrinth with oomph, but she didn’t feel any pain.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“How?” She heard a some-what familiar voice ask, and she turned her head, expecting the question to be asked towards her. Instead, she saw the frame of Nico di Angelo, talking to a person she couldn’t see, “How is she…?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I told you,” a voice hissed, causing goosebumps to erupt over her arms, “a soul that cheated death.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nico’s face hardened, “A soul for a soul.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her stomach lurched. She’s in an arena, skulls, and bones scattered around. She’s stood beside D’Marcus and Carla, who has a long cut down the side of her cheek. She frowns at the sight.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Ella!” She turned her eyes to a figure in the arena, “Ella! Are you okay? Why are you here?” They’re fuzzy. She doesn’t feel good. She shouldn’t be here -- the figure shouldn’t be here.</em>
</p><hr/><p>“Hey,” Eleanor’s shoulder was being shaken, “Ella?”</p><p>She blinked her eyes open and stared at the girl kneeling beside her sleeping bag. It was one of the younger demigods, one that had never made it to camp. Her eyes were wide and the color of pure honey, and no matter what she said or do, she always came across as childish or innocent.</p><p>A daughter of Hebe, that’s what she had told her. Seven-years-old and forced to be on the losing side of a war she doesn’t even know about.</p><p>“What’s up, Honey?” That was her name, Honey Adams, which was fitting, considering her eyes.</p><p>“You were having a nightmare,” she played with a piece of platinum blonde hair (which was very cool, by the way), “so I woke you up.”</p><p>At her words, Eleanor furred her eyebrows together. She had another one of the prophecy dreams, but it was fuzzy, which she wasn’t used to.</p><p>“Sorry,” she ran her fingers through her curls, “did it scare you?”</p><p>Honey made a face like that question offended her, “No! I just… didn’t want you to be scared.”</p><p>Eleanor gave the younger girl a smile, albeit a bit sad, but she reminded her of Ananda. She missed her family, a lot.</p><p>She looked towards the window, the sun was just beginning to rise, “Wanna sleep beside me?”</p><p>Honey agreed, so the young girl was curled against her as Eleanor stared out the window, wondering what Paul was doing. Was he okay? Was her mom okay? Was Percy okay?</p><p>The sleeping bag was lumpy and hurt, back that’s what you got when you packed twelve demigods into an empty closet, because all of the sleeping chambers were taken already. Carla had the sleeping bag beside her, and D’Marcus was with the boys.</p><p>Making sure Honey was asleep, she shuffled out of the bag, and then pulled herself up off of the floor. Dodging limbs, she made her way out of the room, seeing that the boat was still docked at the same mall.</p><p>Eleanor chewed her bottom lip. She knew where the entrance was, she could steal some stuff and continue on her way home. To Paul and Sally and Nadia and Frankie and Maija and Ananda —</p><p>Honey. She could lead Honey home. She was so young, one of the youngest demigods she’s seen on the boat, and so innocent. She had no clue what she got herself into.</p><p>She moved back inside, kneeling beside the sleeping child and lightly shook her on the arm.</p><p>“Ella?” She mumbled, her voice sleepy.</p><p>“Mhm,” she grabbed her bag off of the floor, then pulled her jean jacket on, reaching into the pocket to feel the knife gifted to her by Apollo, “do you miss your dad?”</p><p>“I don’t have a dad, I have two moms.”</p><p>“Well, do you miss your mom?”</p><p>Honey nodded, then sniffed, “A lot.”</p><p>“Do you want to go home?”</p><p>“Yes!” Honey said up, and covered her mouth when Eleanor shushed her, “Yes.” She said again, though it was muffled by her hand.</p><p>“Okay, I need you to listen to me and I’ll get you home.” Eleanor stood up and helped her up, then led her to her own sleeping bag, where she picked up her bag given to her by one of the older demigods, since she had nothing with her when she came.</p><p>“Remember,” she lifted a finger to her lips, the little girl nodded, and copied her movement.</p><p>Getting herself and Honey off of the boat wasn’t the easier thing in the world. Most of the demigods were asleep, leaving a few monsters either keeping watch or just talking to each other. Four times they had to dunk into a room or hide behind a plant (why were there even potted plants?) to escape being seen.</p><p>But, she did it.</p><p>Getting into the mall was the next biggest problem, since it was closed. She’d like to say that she did some epic lock-picking magic that would have even the most advanced Hermes kid in awe, but instead, she picked a well-sized rock off of the ground and threw it at the window.</p><p>Because physics said so, the glass shattered with a loud noise, and the rock and glass shards dropped to the floor. Honey’s honey eyes were wide, though she had a smile, like she thought it looked fun.</p><p>That smile was wiped away when a loud, blaring alarm filled the mall. Eleanor cursed -- she forgot about that. She grabbed Honey’s small hand and dragged her through the busted window, making a quick way towards the basement doors. When she noticed Honey was having trouble keeping up with her, she gave her a piggy-back ride.</p><p>They made it to the basement door, the one her, D’Marcus, and Carla left only hours before, and Honey got off of her back. The alarms were still going off, and she could see the flashing red-and-blue lights of police cars coming in. She really didn’t think this through.</p><p>The basement door was locked. She looked at the blonde, “Can you pick locks?”</p><p>“No,” her eyes widen, “wait, yes!” She pulled a necklace out of her shirt, and at the very end was a golden key. It glowed, so much it reflected off of their faces, “Amira gave this to me. Her mom’s Hecate.”</p><p>Eleanor’s eyebrows furred, and she watched as the girl removed it from around her neck and placed it gently in her hand. She placed it into the door’s lock, raising a brow when it fit in perfectly, and turned the key. The door unlocked, and it even popped open.</p><p>“I knew it!” Honey cheered, “The key’s magical.”</p><p>She pushed the door over and grabbed Honey’s hand again, slamming the door shut behind them. Using the magical key, she locked the door, right as she heard voices on the other side. The two shared a wide-eyed look.</p><hr/><p>“I don’t understand,” Nadia Campbell was at the police office, Paul Blofis beside her.</p><p>The officer they were talking to, Officer Mariam Jones, looked at them with pity. It wasn’t easy, dealing with missing children cases, “We think Eleanor may have run away.”</p><p>“Ella wouldn’t do that,” Paul ran a hand through his hair, first his step-son disappeared to his summer camp without telling Sally, and now Eleanor somehow disappeared from a theatre’s basement, “she wouldn’t just run away.”</p><p>Officer Jones was holding a folder, which she handed to Nadia, who handled it like it was a fragile vase. Nadia opened, seeing a dark, blurry security camera photo of two girls, one who looked to be around Ananda’s age, and the other Eleanor.</p><p>Then she started crying. The next photo was the side of the older girl’s face, and she recognized it. The shape of her nose, the arch of her lips. It was Eleanor.</p><p>“Your daughter and a missing seven-year-old named Honey Adams were found breaking into a mall. Police officers were brought in when the mall’s alarm went off after Eleanor through a rock through one of the windows.”</p><p>Nadia sniffed, “So they have her?”</p><p>“No, when they followed the two into the basement, the girls were gone.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. chapter ten: hellhounds and dragons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Ten: Hellhounds and Dragons</strong>
</p><p>It didn’t take long for something (read: a monster) to catch onto their scent.</p><p>Eleanor had stupidly assumed it would have been a cut-and-dry operation -- get Honey home, get some more supplies, slip back into the Labyrinth, and then go on from there.</p><p>Hebe was nowhere close to being a major goddess, or a goddess with a load of enemies, so why the hell were the two being chased by a blood-thirsty creature?</p><p>Was it the Labyrinth? Did it heighten Honey’s scent, maybe such close quarters kept them on high-alert for aything new?</p><p>Whatever, all she knew was that neither of them had weapons, knew how to fight, and were one stumble away from being some mythological creature’s next meal.</p><p>Then she remembered, like the little idiot she was, she had that knife from Apollo.</p><p>Her finger reached up to her hair, feeling the sun-covered hairpin she was gifted with days ago, and unclipped it. It glowed golden, like the key around her neck, and morphed into the 10in blade that warmed her palm.</p><p>“Honey,” the girl looked at her, “run ahead, okay? I’ll try to get a few of them off of us.”</p><p>Before a response could pass her lips, Honey caught sight of the monsters (only one -- a hellhound), visibly paled, and sped up her little legs.</p><p>So, call her stupid. One measly little dog?</p><p>Um, yeah. This is the first monster she’s seen up close in an environment where they can easily use her bones as toothpicks.</p><p>Eleanor gripped the handle of the blade, ignoring how it was slick with sweat. So, she didn’t know how to fight. And she didn’t have the demigod reflexes to teach her.</p><p>Well, if she died she died. Maybe she’ll get to live her next life in a reality TV show. Keeping Up with the Kardashians seemed fun, plus she’d get to be rich.</p><p>A growl, she turned to face the hellhound, who’s beady red eyes honed in on her. If the dog could lick its lips, she bet it would be.</p><p>And like, Jesus Christ, she wasn’t even a demigod! She doubted Apollo’s small blessing would make her taste like a medium-rare steak. Her eyes looked back at Honey, then frowned, and looked back at the hellhound.</p><p>Wait, why was it just staring at her? Isn’t this the point in time when it pounces?</p><p>The hellhound gave a whine, tilted its head, and then licked up the side of her face with its massive tongue. Eleanor made a sound that was, simply put, a mixture of a ‘bleh’ and an ‘ugh’. Pulling her jean jacket sleeve down, she used it to wipe away some of the slobber, only now both her face and her sleeve were wet.</p><p>“Um?” She felt a hand in her own, and looked down at Honey, who stared at the hellhound with wide eyes. “Good… girl?” A whine. “Boy?” An excited bark, another lick, and she guess she just made a new best friend.</p><hr/><p>Honey dubbed the hellhound Mávros, which apparently meant black in modern Greek. How this child knew modern Greek, she had no clue, but she went with it.</p><p>Mávros could shadow travel, which made it really easy to travel. She was about to ask where to go, but she faltered, realizing that all would happen is Honey was either get attacked by monsters or found by traitors again, which she couldn’t live with herself knowing.</p><p>So she asked Mávros to take them right outside of Camp. He did without complaint, and she felt Honey’s little arms squeeze around her middle and it felt like all the air was sucked out of her lungs.</p><p>Her eyes were shut so tight that when she opened them there were flurries all over her vision. She groaned, scouting so she slipped off of the hellhound like a slide. Honey followed her lead, eyebrows furred as she took in where they were.</p><p>“This isn’t my house.”</p><p>It wasn’t a question.</p><p>“I know,” Eleanor dropped the knife, so it glowed and turned back into a hairclip. “It wasn’t safe there. This is Camp Half-Blood, made for people like you -- like us.” Lying was getting a little too easy.</p><p>Honey frowned, “But my mom --”</p><p>Eleanor clipped her bangs again, “I know, Hon, but this is safer.” She grabbed her hand, leading her past Thalia’s Tree. She held her breath but was surprised when she passed without a problem, so it must have been a blessing thing. “I’m sure Chiron will let you call.”</p><p>‘Who’s Chiron?” Instead of answering, Eleanor gave her a grin. Even though she looked worried, Honey smiled back. Good, she liked her smile.</p><p>They passed the tree when Honey screamed.</p><p>Eleanor looked around with wide eyes, looking for what caused it, when instead she landed on what had caused Honey to scream. Without thinking, Eleanor screeched, “Why is there a dragon?”</p><p>Said dragon seemed to have taken offense to the two girls. He lifted up, winds flapping widely, and his copper color was reflected by the moon. She had hoped the night time would allow her to sneak Honey in and sneak out without anyone finding her, but the scream had crushed that reality.</p><p>“Whoa, whoa, Peleus!” Should a voice, which belonged to a tall, skinny white boy with a mop of curly brown hair and blue eyes. One of the Stolls, which was known by the fact that the dude literally oozed mischievous energy.</p><p>“It’s a dragon!”</p><p>“His name is Peleus,” he chided, which caused her to stick his tongue out at him. He didn’t notice, because he was too busy calming down the dragon.</p><p>Long story short: Eleanor had to lie again. Like, a lot. More than a lot. She was lying about everything.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>but that’s for the next chapter !</p><p>this one was a lot shorter, im sorry. im going through writers block :( but anyways </p><p>any ideas as to why mávros didnt kill the girls?</p><p>what do you guys really want to see from this fic?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. chapter eleven: dead man walking</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Eleven: Dead Man Walking</strong>
</p><p>They were sitting on a chair the Big House, Honey glued to Eleanor’s side like she was afraid the two adults -- presumingly Chiron and Mr. D -- would rip her away.</p><p>“Thank you, Travis,” Chiron said to the boy who brought them inside, which meant she was right, he was a Stoll. “You may return back to your cabin,” he eyed his pockets, “but please return the items you stole from the Ares’ kids.”</p><p>Travis mumbled something about horse eyes, but left without a further complaint. Honey blinked once, then twice, and eyed Chiron in his wheelchair like at any moment he would jump out and eat some grass, “You’re a horse?”</p><p>There was a moment of awkward silence. Eleanor bumped her with her elbow, “Manners, Hon,”</p><p>“Oh,” she at least looked sheepish, “sorry.”</p><p>Chiron smiled at her good-naturally, “No worries, I am part horse,” then, as if magic (which it probably was) he walked out of the chair, showing off his bottom half, that of a white stallion.</p><p>Honey looked ready to pass out, but she managed a weak smile, “Cool.”</p><p>“May I ask for your names?”</p><p>Honey looked to Eleanor first, and when she gave a nod, she nodded back, “Honey Adams.”</p><p>“Ella Blofis.” Ah, back to her good-old real name. Hopefully, no one would mention her fake persona around these guys. She really didn’t want to be accused of a spy, or at least a liar.</p><p>“Any idea as to who your parents are?” There was a yawn, given by the God of wine himself, but she figured he was probably bored of his game of solitaire.</p><p>“Hebe,” she pointed at the girl beside her, “and,” she hesitated, “Apollo.”</p><p>Chiron raised a brow, “You don’t seem so sure?”</p><p>“I uhm… not claimed, but, yeah.” That made zero sense, but Chiron accepted her excuse with a nod, he then grinned, as if to say, Hey! No biggie. It did feel like a biggie, she was lying to a Greek God and Chiron. Who lied to Chiron?</p><p>(Her, apparently.)</p><p>But, he had these eyes -- horse eyes, maybe -- but it felt like he saw her. Saw right through her, saw her lies and how she felt and how she was so anxious and so in the middle of something bigger than her, and before she could even stop herself, she word vomited out: “I can see the future.”</p><p>Dionysus looked up from his cards. Chiron’s tail flicked. Honey stared at her like she had two heads. Her throat felt like it was clamming up, her lungs shuttered and it felt like there was something around her chest, squeezingandsqueezingandsqueezing until it felt like every ounce of oxygen was forced out of her lungs.</p><p>Asthma? Right now? She hadn’t had asthma since she found out about being reborn into a book series, and neither time did she do copious amounts of exercise beforehand. Why now?</p><p>“You’re panicking,” oh, yeah, that’ll explain it. Maybe it wasn’t asthma, just a panic attack. Understandable, have a nice day.</p><p>She wasn’t sure what was happening. There was a hand on her shoulder, which only freaked her out more, and then it was like someone had put a cloth over her eyes. Then her ears were buzzing, her eyes were unfocusing and focusing again, and then it was dark.</p>
<hr/><p>“I told them you were all right,” Sally Jackson’s voice was around her in the darkness, and for a moment, she thought she was speaking to her. Before Eleanor even opened her mouth to respond, the darkness faded into the Jackson’s apartment, where Sally had a tired-looking Percy in her arms and Annabeth was beside the two.</p><p>They sat in the kitchen, eating Sally’s blue cookies (that made her mouth water -- god, she missed them) and talking about Percy’s quest. Sally made a joke about cleaning rooms, “I can’t get him to clean his room, but he’ll clean a hundred tons of horse manure out of some monster’s stables! I remember complaining to Ella about it --” She trailed off, face solemn.</p><p>Percy didn’t catch onto her sadness, “Oh, yeah, Ells. Is she at her mom’s?”</p><p>Sally sat down the blue cookie she was in the process of eating, “Percy, you didn’t happen to see Ella, did you?”</p><p>“What?” He looked taken aback, “no! Why? Where is she?”</p><p>“She’s been missing, about three days after you went with Annabeth. She was in the basement of the theatre and never came back.”</p><p>Percy visibly paled, “The dream.”</p><p>And then she woke up.</p>
<hr/><p>Eleanor was in a pretty comfortable bed, and she could faintly hear someone snoring. She pulled her eyebrows together and looked around, finding herself lying in some sort of medicine room -- oh, the Infirmary.</p><p>Her head felt like someone had dropped a boulder on it, and, strangely, she felt hot. Like, burning hot. A small cry left her lips as she shifted, trying to lessen the heat.</p><p>“Sorry,” a male voice said, and she turned her attention to a boy about a few years older than her, blonde and blue-eyed with a seemingly natural tan, “I, uh, tried giving you nectar.”</p><p>“Oh,” so that explained the heat -- she was mortal, she was lucky she wasn’t ash, “I guess it’s known then, right?”</p><p>The boy, presumingly one of Apollo’s kids, raised a brow, “That you’re a mortal? Yeah.”</p><p>She offered a hand, “Ella Blofis.”</p><p>“Lee Fletcher,” he shook her hand.</p><p>Eleanor’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes going slightly wide at the sight of him. She saw flashes of the vision, the one Sally comforted her after, of him dying -- crushed by a giant foot. And to think, she was talking to a dead man walking.</p><p>To think, she’s to another, Luke. He was to be dead soon, as well.</p><p>“I’m a mortal,” she started, “but --”</p><p>Lee raised his hand, cutting Eleanor off, “I don’t care, you brought a demigod with you, she said you saved her from the Army.” He eyed her like she was interesting, “how were you even there?”</p><p>Well, she had two ways to go. Lie or tell the truth. She decided in the middle.</p><p>“Apollo,” she started, “he uhm, came to me --”</p><p>“What?” Lee looked as scandalized as Percy did days ago when she told him the same, “How old are you?”</p><p>“What?” It was Eleanor’s time to looked put off, “I’m thirteen, why does it matter?”</p><p>Realizing he must have mistaken her, he shook his head, “Never mind. Continue on.”</p><p>“Well, Apollo came to me in my dreams and stuff, said that I was supposed to be the next Oracle, or something. Uhm, he kinda bothers me… a lot.”</p><p>Lee stared at her. She stared back. Then, without warning, he jumped out of the chair he was sitting in, “The next Oracle?!” His eyes were wide, “I’ve got to get Chiron,” he waved his arm at her, “wait here!”</p><p>“Wait, wait, wait --” she grabbed a hold of his wrist before he left, “there’s something else.” Lee was staring again, “Uhm, Percy Jackson is kinda my step-brother.” Well, kinda.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had two different versions of this chapter, one where Eleanor literally lied through her teeth and, this one, where she told as much of the truth as she could.</p><p>The original idea was for Ella to get stuck in a web of lies and such, but, looking back at who her character is, I think being honest would be most like her. She knows that CHB is safe, so there wasn’t any reason for her to lie, anyway. </p><p>Not sure if I ever mentioned this, but I attend school for writing. I can’t write fanfiction all the time because I have to also write for class, plus I also get published in a few journals for my writing, so that takes time up too. Writing this story is a hobby I do for myself, which is why updates are sporadic or have a tendency to differ in length.</p><p>In all actuality, when I first started writing, I had no idea what I was going to do, let alone if I’d get this far. I have a tendency to give up on stories after a month or so, but every time someone reviews, follows, favorites, etc., it reminds me that other people enjoy my work and motivates me. I finally figured out my main goal with the story plotline, at least till the Last Olympian, so that’s good!</p><p>This is just a long-winded way of saying thank you so much for your support of this story. Both on AO3 and ffnet, this is my most popular story up and it is one of my favorites. It really feels like the story just writes itself when I get a moment to, and I’m glad everyone likes it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. chapter thirteen | the silver compass</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Twelve: The Silver Compass</strong>
</p><p>It was upsetting, to say the least, seeing Honey’s face drop as she took in where she would be staying.</p><p>As the daughter of a minor goddess, she was stuck on the Hermes’ Cabin floor. Her sleeping bag happened to be right smack in the middle, meaning she was definitely going to get trampled. Plus, with Luke gone (thankfully), there wasn’t the older brother camper there to make she got everything needed, like she remembered happening for Percy.</p><p>Eleanor was sleeping in Poseidon’s cabin. Well, she didn’t exactly ask, she just decided that Percy or Poseidon or whoever could suck it, because there was no way in Hades she was going to sleep in a crowded cabin.</p><p>(Apollo’s Cabin was also offered, she declined. They all woke up at the crack of dawn and she really didn’t need that. Like, at all. She hasn’t had more than seven hours of sleep since she entered the Labyrinth, she was going to get all she could take.)</p><p>She assumed that Chiron and Mr. D were aware she had taken refuge in her (future) step-brother’s cabin, but if they cared, neither made it known.</p><p>Honey had left her side, off to meet her new cabin-mates, which left Eleanor alone. For the first time since meeting D’Marcus and Carla. Plus, she was at Camp Half-Blood! This was like her dream as a middle-schooler.</p><p>Percy’s cabin smelled so heavily of the beach it was giving her migraine, but in a good way. It really did look like only a teenage boy lived here. Yeah, his bed was made, but hastily so, and one of the walls had several photos, postcards, and other things taped on.</p><p>Actually, Eleanor narrowed her eyes, that’s a photo of me!</p><p>That made a weird warm feeling in her chest. It was sweet, that Percy had a photo of the two of them (stood in front of her dad’s house, both smiling and her holding up a peace sign) right beside a photo of him and Sally.</p><p>There were several others — Annabeth; a satyr, probably Grover; Annabeth, Grover, and Percy; a girl with spikey hair she assumed to be Thalia; and several more of his mom.</p><p>She didn’t even bother faking surprise at that, anyone that knew Percy knew that he was the biggest mama’s boy. And, if her mother was Sally Jackson, she would be too.</p><p>The last one was a photo of Percy stood beside a taller boy with a single eye. A cyclops? What? Who in the Gods—oh. Tyson.</p><p>Eleanor scrunched her toes up in her boot, she felt bad, forgetting about him. She was sure he was a sweetheart. She’d make it up to him, somehow, even if he didn’t know what she had done.</p><hr/><p>“Hey, Hon-Bun,” she moved so she stood beside Honey, who was at the very end of the Hermes food-line. She was sure that, as a confirmed mortal, she probably could have skipped the line, but her mama didn’t raise no line-cuter. Well, she never directly told her not to cut in line, but still. She had to keep it PG.</p><p>Honey grinned up at her, amber eyes sparkling with the childish glee she always seemed to have. She wondered, for a brief moment, if even when she grew up and lost her childish notions, would the sparkle stay? She was a daughter of Hebe, after all.</p><p>It felt like someone had dropped a rock into her stomach. What would happen to Honey? Would she become one of the dead demigods—killed? MIA? Would she survive, but become bitter and a shell of her former self? Would she grow to resent the gods, treating her and all other unclaimeds like second-hand citizens, grow to hate her Godly mother, who couldn’t do more for her?</p><p>Eleanor chewed at her bottom lip. She could kinda see where Luke was coming from, but he started a war. And is helping out mister I-eat-my-kids (and a rock, how do you mistake a rock for your newborn son?) and will result in hundreds of demigod deaths.</p><p>“What’s wrong, Ella?” Honey’s head was tilted, platinum blonde hair spilling past her shoulders. While she was in her head, the line had moved up, and her stomach churned at the smell of food.</p><p>“Nothing,” she gave her a smile, “how do you like your cabin mates?”</p><p>She brightened, “A lot!” She smiled, showing off the gap between her teeth and a missing canine. “There’s some the same age as me! And there are ponies with wings!” Then she frowned, “but no unicorns. I guess they’re not real.”</p><p>“Nah,” she thought of the horses at Camp Jupiter, and Hazel Levesque, who will come to tame them, “you just haven’t seen them yet.”</p><p>The person in front of them grabbed a plate and begin to pile on a shocking amount of fruit — she saw grapes, purple and juicy, and thought of Apollo — and looked behind his shoulder to give them a smile.</p><p>Oh, a kid of Apollo. He had his father’s smile.</p><p>In the Hermes cabin. Unclaimed.</p><p>“You two can grab a plate too, y’know.” He was younger than her but older than Honey, with dark skin and cornrows. “I’m Austin.”</p><p>“I’m Ella,” she grabbed a plate and handed it to Honey, then got one for herself, grabbing a lot more of the grapes than needed. She also got some of the barbeque, which looked way better than anything her dad made (attempting to unlock his inner suburban-white-dad. <em>You’re an English teacher</em>, she’d always tell him, <em>not a chef</em>.)</p><p>“Honey!”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s for your fruit.”</p><p>Eleanor snorted, “It’s her name.” The girl in question was no longer paying attention, instead quickly filling her plate with nothing but watermelon cubes. At Eleanor’s pointed look, Honey begrudgingly added some barbeque too. Another pointed look, and she got some greens. A well-balanced meal, as far as she was concerned.</p><p>“Wow,” Austin laughed, “you could be her mother!”</p><p>“She already has two,” she joked, “what’s another?”</p><p>Honey snorted this time. She was gladly pouring what looked to be fresh honey over her vegetables, which looked disgusting, but if it got her to eat it, she wouldn’t complain.</p><p>When she was happy with the plate, she gave Eleanor a serious nod, and Austin led them to the Hermes table.</p><p>It was packed, so-much-so that her butt hung off of the end, and she had pulled Honey onto her lap to make room. (She did feel like a mother, she chose to ignore that.) No one ate until everyone sacrificed food, and twice Eleanor had to lightly smack Honey’s hands to keep her away from the watermelon.</p><p>When it was the Hermes cabin food, she held both her and Honey’s plate and waited in line, Austin stood beside her, Honey in-between. The only reason why she was in between is because she wouldn’t move, too busy staring at her watermelon cubes with hungry eyes.</p><p>“You can wait one more minute.”</p><p>“No, I can’t!”</p><p>She could wait one more minute. Austin sacrificed first, throwing his biggest loaf of bread into the fire, along with a handful of peanuts. He mumbled something under his breath — all she could make out was claim and moved back to the table.</p><p>Eleanor helped Honey do it first. With wide eyes, she watched as her freshest watermelon cubes erupted into flames. She mumbled something too, Eleanor didn’t hear, and then slunk back to the Hermes table, plate in hand.</p><p>She swallowed, staring at the flickering flames. She grabbed a vine of grapes, the same she had ate at Apollo’s hotel room. And dropped them into the fire, Apollo, she thought, thanks for the help, I guess I owe you. Claim Austin. He has your smile.</p><p>The fire erupted ina sweet smell, which she figured was Apollo saying, hey, I got your message. Next, she grabbed a good chunk of barbeque, which soon joined the fruit in the flames.</p><p>Uhm, hi, Poseidon. She cringed, this was Percy’s father’s first impression of her, and she was doing awful, please don’t smite me for sleeping in your cabin. Also, keep my brother safe, thanks!</p><p>This time, she got the smell of sea-breeze. Man, she was rocking at the whole sacrifice thing.</p><p>One last God.</p><p>Pomegranate seeds, which she had gotten just for them, were thrown in next. A hefty amount, if she did say so herself, and she did. She licked her lips, a bit scared as to where this one would go.</p><p>Hades. She was formal this time. Thank you for not ending my existence as soon as you realized I was reincarnated, a little less formal but she could deal with it, Nico di Angel is still in the Labyrinth, is he not? Give me a sign and I’ll help him.</p><p>If Hades got her message, he didn’t respond. Well, here’s hoping.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>Carla stood in an arena, sword raise and blood streaming from a cut on her cheek. Her armor, which looked to be just her size, was ripped to near shreds, but she still had the look of a soldier.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Is dat de best you’ve got!?” She shouted at a cyclops she was seemingly battling, “I ain’t dead yet!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The cyclops took this as a challenge, swinging a huge bat made out of wood down on her, which would have squshed her if it wasn’t for her dropping and rolling away.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’ve got tuh try harder!” She looked to be enjoying this fight, probably a kid of Hercules thing. Actually, she seemed taller and more buffer than the last time Eleanor had spoken to her, but she looked the same age.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>What, some kind of blessing? Maybe in a fight, she gets all buffed out?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The cyclops tried flattening her again, but once more she attempted to roll and move out of the way. However, she tripped when attempting to get back up, and the monster used this to raise his foot and stomp down —</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eleanor screamed. The vision before her faded out, and then came back into focus, where she now stood in a throne room.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She faced a man, who’s skin was bone-white. His skin was greasy and fell down limply to his shoulder blades, the color of oil, with his harsh eyes the same. He was dressed in a black robe that looked like liquid, terrified faces swimming around, mouths open with a never-ending scream. Like the cloth was made with souls instead of fabric.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She swallowed. Oh, this was Hades.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Persephone was missing, since it was summer and she was with her mother. She prayed this would work in her favor, since his jealous wife was not here to fester hatred for his son. Gods were so messy.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eleanor bowed, “Hades.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Stand.” She did, his voice was as oily as his hair, yet scratchy at the same time. It caused goosebumps to erupt over her skin, in the worst way possible. “You know of Nico?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yes,” she nodded, her mouth felt dry. “That he is — that he is trusting the advice of Minos.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hades’ face became harsh at the thought, “I don’t agree with the mentorship,” he eyed her steadily, like he was trying to decipher what made her so special. “The daughter of Hercules dies.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I saw,” she stared at her bare feet, still dressed in one of Percy’s Camp Half-Blood shirts and a borrowed pair of pajama bottoms from an Aphrodite girl in her size.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“She is your friend.” It wasn’t a question,. It caused her stomach to drop? Was this man watching her? What was it with Greek gods and watching her? “Help Nico and save the girl, a fair deal?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eleanor nodded mutely. She watched as Hades reached his hand out, boney and white, as if the man himself was a skeleton, and uncurled his fingers. In his palm was a silver compass.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She knew this wasn’t a free handout. “What shall I do in return?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He grinned wickedly, “Once you find my son and bring him to my kingdom, I have another task for you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Considering her options, Eleanor eyed the gift, “What does the compass do?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It is enchanted, like the girl’s key —” Her stomach dropped at the mention of Honey, like those words themselves were a threat, “it will always lead you where you need to go, as long as you know yourself.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Well, that was useful. She sighed and lightly took it from his hands, holding it in her palm. It was warm, pulsing with what she assumed to be magic. Strong magic, she realized, stronger than the key.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Hecate made it,” his voice turned gruff, like he was upset, “I was to give it to Bianca —” she winced, “but it is better used by you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A beat of silence passed, “Did Hecate join the enemy side?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hades’ lack of an answer told her enough.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. chapter thirteen | a prophet, a ghost, and a child</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter Thirteen: A Prophet, a Ghost, and a Child </strong>
</p><p>There came times when she looked at her current life, for a brief moment wondering what the hell had happened?</p><p>Once she was Carina Cruz, juggling jobs to pay for medical bills and praying to God that His wrath will spare her mother. She knew that if God was real (which she doubted now, this was not Heaven) He had no reason to listen. Her mother was awful, and somehow she couldn’t find it in herself to abandon her, too… the most mercy she got was she died before she had to drop out of college.</p><p>Now, she was Eleanor Blofis. The daughter of an English teacher and a store manager, the sister of a demigod, and Nico di Angelo’s babysitter.</p><p>The events that lead to her locating the boy were quick ones. The night after Austin was claimed (which was a grand event, really. Claiming was so cool, but it left a bad taste in her mouth that she had to tell him to. Did she have to run around the camp finding all the unclaimed brats of Apollo and twisting his ear into he claimed them all?</p><p>She would. Actually, she’s going to now. With a lot of powers comes a lot of happy kids.)</p><p>Since she was alone in the Poseidon cabin, there was no one there to question her about the bag she was packing. Or the small conversation she was having with herself — it was boring, so here’s the main points: Does she stay and wait for Percy? Or does she find Nico right now?</p><p>Finding Nico right now won.</p><p>With her packed bag over one arm, she held the compass in her hand, and, with all her mental ability, thought, Nico di Angelo. Like promised, the red line did a few twirls around, then pointed straight ahead, toward a big pile of rocks.</p><p>She frowned, hiking the bag strap further up her shoulder, and made quick steps to the pile of rocks. She looked around, searching for whatever the compass was leading her to, when she took one wrong step and quite literally fell through the ground.</p><p>Eleanor’s back hit the ground again, reminding her of the last unpleasant fall, and she felt the air leave her lungs in a painful manner. She stared up towards the rock ceiling, catch her breath and trying to figure out if she was dying, when she realized the compass was no longer clutched between her fingers.</p><p>She sat up, ignoring the pain shooting through her back, and unlicked the God-gifted hairclip, accepting the mere golden light the dagger gave her. After crawling around a bit, keeping her eyes close to the ground, she found it. Though, not in the best condition.</p><p>“No!” Eleanor cried out, seeing a crack in the glass, and how to redline was no longer facing a special direction — it pointed North! The stupid broken thing — and thought about how unlucky she had to be to break another God-gifted object before she even really got to use it.</p><p>And then it burned her hand. She dropped it, hissing as she blew air on the agitated skin, eyes watching as the crack in the glass closed shut, the red line did a few spins and, once again, was leading her towards Nico di Angelo, and then it grew a leather strap, attached to it.</p><p>“Oh,” she picked it up, the compass now felt cool, and put it around her neck. “Cool, I guess.”</p><p>..</p><p>The blue line reappeared sometime during her walk. It was faint at first, flickering in and out of the ground like it wasn’t quite sure, and after she made her way from an area with a smooth stone floor to loose dirt (that got kicked up easily and sucked to inhale) it came back just a bright as before.</p><p>Eleanor was bored again. She forgot what it felt like, before stumbling upon D’Andre and Carla, to be alone and surrounded in darkness. She spoke to herself a lot, reciting chopped-up song lyrics or making up dumb stories, anything to keep herself entertained.</p><p>She also, again, did not have much food on her. She had no clue how to get food at Camp if it wasn’t mealtime, and even then she was sure she’d get a few odd looks shoving bread rolls and such into a bag.</p><p>She would have to find a vending machine, or something. She missed Stanley, and Cappi, and her dad, and her mom, and her cousins, and Sally, and even Percy. Gods, she might even miss Apollo! Anyone other than herself to talk to.</p><p>In her somber thoughts, she just nearly missed the smell of McDonald’s. Her stomach grumbled, her mind stopped, and she allowed her nose to lead her.</p><p>Eleanor was looking at Nico di Angelo. Well, she assumed she was. It was a boy, small and skinny, dressed in ripped black jeans, a dirty aviator jacket, and, she was sure, if he turned to face her, his shirt would be dark grey with a black skull in the middle.</p><p>There was a ghost floating behind him, a man wearing a white robe, tall imposing, and though she couldn’t make out his words, his voice caused shivers to run up her spine. She recognized his voice, from her dream, a soul that cheated death. She was a soul that cheated death.</p><p>Wait. Was Nico looking for her?</p><p>The compass turned hot against her skin, this time as if signaling that she had found her mark. Even the blue line went straight to Nico, and glowed so blue reflected off of his body.</p><p>“Hello?” The words left Eleanor’s throat before she had time to process them, and she cringed, especially when Nico, whose face was unhealthily pale and sunken in, glared at her. “Uh… hi.”</p><p>“You!” There was a sword in his hands now, black and very deadly looking, so she took a cautious step back, “From McDonald’s! The one who cheated death.”</p><p>Yikes, Nico was looking for her.</p><p>“Well, yes, but I’m here to help you.” His glare deepened, “What? I am. Your father sent me,” her eyes fell onto Minos with distance, “he is not… fond of your company.”</p><p>Minos snarled at her, she narrowed her eyes at him, but turned her eyesight back to the small form of Nico. Said boy’s glare had not lessened up, “Proof.”</p><p>“What?” Both Eleanor and the ghost said at once, Eleanor in confusion and the ghost in shock.</p><p>Nico didn’t change his words, “Prove it. Prove you’re from my father.”</p><p>“Nico…” Minos’ voice became low, and it seemingly surrounded them, like his words formed a body of their own, “what are you doing? She is the one, do you not want Bianca?”</p><p>Okay, manipulation aside, was she actually? Her memory of who Nico actually wanted was foggy, but she knew it ended up that Bianca did not want to be brought back, but she wasn’t going to tell the kid that.</p><p>Nico faltered for a single moment, but then shook his head, squaring his shoulders and bringing his glare back just as severe. “If she can’t prove she’s here from my dad, then I will. Not before.”</p><p>Any help here, Hades? She asked, mentally, mainly because she knew nothing else to do. She could try the compass, but what were the odds he would recognize it?</p><p>Her prayer to Hades got no response. At least, not quick enough that she could use it in time. So she showed him the compass. He takes it from her neck, holds it within his sword-less hand, and looks all over it as if searching for something.</p><p>“She’s telling the truth,” Nico decided, handing back the compass and turning the sword back into a skull ring.</p><p>Minos looked horrified. And confused. And full of rage. But he didn’t offer a rebuttal, and instead continued to stare at Eleanor like she was dirt on the bottom of his shoe. She ignored him, turning her eyes to Nico. “Thanks,” she offered a smile. He grunted, and looked away, but she didn’t bother to get offended.</p><p>“Just don’t slow me down.”</p><p>“Deal,” he was kinda adorable when he wasn’t trying to murder her.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>